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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23604196">DOOM: Puer Infernalis V2</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/EnriksD8/pseuds/EnriksD8'>EnriksD8</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Doom (Video Games), Doom Mods, 黒獣～気高き聖女は白濁に染まる～ | Kuroinu: Kedakaki Seijo wa Hakudaku ni Somaru (Anime)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Demonic Possession, F/F, F/M, Magic Fantasy, Multi, Science Fiction, War, cosmic horror</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-03 01:41:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>31,391</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23604196</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/EnriksD8/pseuds/EnriksD8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The country of Eostia, situated in the world of Selenus, is on the last days of their thousand-year war between the Seven Shields Alliance, led by Celestine Lucullus the Reincarnated Goddess, and the Demon Hordes of Garan, led by Origa Discordia the Dark Elven Queen of the Jagged Crown. However, just days before the attack on the Black Fortress, Origa Discordia's home for many centuries, three powerful individuals emerge.</p><p>A drifter, whose true age escapes all, who walks between the planes of the living and the dead. A dark presence comes from him, but not of his own soul.</p><p>A swordswoman, her diminutive size deceiving many, blessed by the Angel of Death. Though the energy given to her is Divine, she has her fair share of darkness within her, growing with each day of killing.</p><p>A soldier, one who has existed since the First Age. Out of these three, the soldier has the darkest influence, one he had no choice but to accept as a part of him for all eternity.</p><p>As these three make their way to the stage, boundaries are broken, lines are shifting, new players are stepping in, but the overall power always finds a way to rest its weary head.</p><p>(Full summary in first chapter's end note)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. 01: The Behemoth, the Stranger, and the Angel</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A/N: Alright, so I should probably explain myself as to why I'm doing this. After reviewing my initial versions of DOOM: Puer Infernalis, I have realized a horrible thing. </p><p>I went at it too hard without actually thinking it through. Reading them all and analyzing various parts, I could not help but cringe. Even my most famous story had many plot holes and mistakes I cannot believe no one pointed it out earlier! I was real glad a considerate reviewer (thanks dude) had actually pointed out what was wrong with the overall story. So I have decided to create a new version. The original version is still going to be here on the site and won't be taken down but it won't be updated anymore. There will be some changes on what the plot is and how things will go. At least that is what I plan to do. </p><p>I hope you guys enjoy this one more than the original version. Judging by most of the feedback, looks like most of you guys are on board with this.</p><p>Doom belongs to ID Software<br/>Doom Mods belong to their respective owners<br/>Kuroinu: Kedakaki Seijo wa Hakudaku ni Somaru belongs to Liquid </p><p>Revision started: 01-23-2020 A.D.<br/>Revision uploaded: 01-26-2020 A.D.<br/>Date reedited: 03-18-2020 A.D.</p>
    </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A/N: Alright, so I should probably explain myself as to why I'm doing this. After reviewing my initial versions of DOOM: Puer Infernalis, I have realized a horrible thing.</p><p>I went at it too hard without actually thinking it through. Reading them all and analyzing various parts, I could not help but cringe. Even my most famous story had many plot holes and mistakes I cannot believe no one pointed it out earlier! I was real glad a considerate reviewer (thanks dude) had actually pointed out what was wrong with the overall story. So I have decided to create a new version. The original version is still going to be here on the site and won't be taken down but it won't be updated anymore. There will be some changes on what the plot is and how things will go. At least that is what I plan to do.</p><p>I hope you guys enjoy this one more than the original version. Judging by most of the feedback, looks like most of you guys are on board with this.</p><p>Doom belongs to ID Software<br/>Doom Mods belong to their respective owners<br/>Kuroinu: Kedakaki Seijo wa Hakudaku ni Somaru belongs to Liquid</p><p>Revision started: 01-23-2020 A.D.<br/>Revision uploaded: 01-26-2020 A.D.<br/>Date reedited: 08-19-2020 A.D.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>DOOM: Puer Infernalis V2</strong>
</p>
<hr/><p>[Chapter 01: <em>The Behemoth, the Stranger, and the Angel</em>]</p><p>[Eostia | Unknown specific location]</p><p>He took aim, the scope highlighting his remaining prey. They were running from him, how quaint.</p><p>Breathing in, he lightly squeezed the trigger, hearing the pleasing sound of a high-powered shell slamming right into the orc's upper back, causing a small yet powerful explosion that ripped it apart despite the creature's tough exterior.</p><p>It fell without another sound; another corpse amongst the field of death and decay.</p><p>The man lowered his gun and stood to his full height at 7 feet and 6 inches or 2.28 meters. He was well built, his muscles indicating an intense training regime and lifestyle. He wore a dark green synthetic combat vest and plate carrier over a black form-fitting short-sleeved undershirt for his upper clothing with silver gauntlets covering his hands and forearms. His lower clothing consisted of military fatigue pants that were a green shade somewhat lighter than his combat vest and plate carrier, with rugged metal-lined boots of a dark brown color being his footwear. He had shoulder pads the same color as his upper to readily defend any stray and/or intentional blow to the shoulders. To finish it off, he wore a silvery gray helmet that had an icy blue visor that obscured his entire face.</p><p>Surrounding the man were the corpses of other orcs and imp, littering the grasslands beneath his boots.</p><p>The man had slaughtered them all with brutally quick methods, if their hole-ridden and mutilated bodies said nothing else.</p><p>He scanned the horizon, alert of whatever threat may loom about just within his sight. After a minute or so, he concluded that there was nothing living left within the immediate vicinity and within a 1 kilometer radius. The green man quickly looked around, his icy blue visor reflecting the bloodied grasslands and dead bodies before he took off in a seemingly random direction. He passed the thickets of the forest until he came upon a run-down and nondescript woodsman's house. He had used this house along with two others as a base of operations, which explains some of the lights coming through some of the lower area's cracks and openings.</p><p>Heading inside the house, the large man went over to a nondescript rug and flipped it to the side, revealing the large metal hatch underneath. Opening the hatch to reveal another metal object, this time a sturdy set of ladders, the man quickly slid down to the cellar below where his companions were lounging about.</p><p>The first one was a short girl, reaching up to 5 feet and 6 inches or 1.68 meters, wearing a white blouse shirt with red suspender pants along with grayish brown sneakers and bandages covering her hands although her fingers were left exposed in a similar manner to fingerless gloves. She had short hair, with a white patch of hair just over her left eye that was slightly ruffled to her liking, with a golden headband/hairband on top. Her chocolate brown eyes complimented her thin frame and light skin tone. She also had a black double bowtie to complete her looks.</p><p>This was Jung Hae-Lin, a South Korean woman that participated in Armageddon on Heaven's side, otherwise known as the Angel of Death after she had been deemed worthy of the title by the previous Angel.</p><p>On her left thigh was a holster for her handgun, an Acacia Woodsmen Incorporated A-22 handgun, already loaded with a five-round .500-Magnum magazine plus an extra round in the chamber and fitted with a compensator designed to reduce all vertical recoil and force it downwards.</p><p>By her right hip was a sheath three feet in length. This sheath holds her signature weapon, the Kharon, a 34-inch/86.36-cm blade made from Hell itself fashioned in the style of a Korean Tachi, a nobility sword of sorts.</p><p>"Hey, Flynn!" she greeted cheerfully; waving at him much like a child would to their parent. The large man, Flynn Taggert, simply nodded back before his eyes fell upon his second companion, who was busy loading fresh cartridges into his R&amp;C Thunderhawk revolver.</p><p>The man had a pale purple complexion to his sun-bleached white skin, which was odd and unnatural, and was tall and lean with some muscle on him. Standing at 6 feet and 5 inches or 1.95 meters, he wore a dull gray poncho with black triangles on the bottom with a thick white line after it. His hands were covered in brown leather gloves that nearly reach his elbows, and he wore dark blue jeans with warm brown shoes. His face was obscured by the shadow of his hat, but his pure white eyes seemed to break the obscurity. His hair was a grayish blue, also kept short as it just barely reached the bottom of his neck. On his left side was an empty leather bag that slightly glowed unnaturally.</p><p>By his side was a skull that vaguely resembles a buffalo, but the horns pointed forwards rather than backwards.</p><p>This man was known simply as Corzo White, a drifter of the lands living and dead.</p><p>Casually swinging the cylinder back into the gun and cocking the hammer back with his thumb, Corzo simply nodded and hummed in satisfaction before twirling the gun for a few seconds and placing it back into its holster which sported a miniaturized skull with to bones beneath it crossing over like an X pattern, and the buttons themselves being fashioned to look like bones as well.</p><p>Corzo exhaled his breath, the chilling sound that caused the hairs on the backs of weaker men stand up, as he got out from his seat. To Flynn and Hae-Lin, this was a common occurrence with their silent gunslinger.</p><p>"Well?" his voice was low, a whisper as if he were amongst the graves, but the two heard him loud and clear.</p><p>"They're a plague, the damned orcs… A good amount of rounds were spent dealing with them," He received a playful slap on the lower back, courtesy of Hae-Lin.</p><p>"Aww, cheer up, Flynn-Flynn! It just means you can practice your shooting even more!" Hae-Lin smiled warmly, an infectious action that brightens up anyone's day, as she skipped over to one of the tables that had her weapons on it. Underneath his helmet, Flynn smiled softly in response as he nodded at the short woman.</p><p>Turning his head to Corzo, the Slayer asked to the Drifter. "What did you gather from the settlements?"</p><p>The Drifter shrugged off his tiredness and replied. "People are talking about you. They sounded scared when I listened. I heard from the barkeep that one of the Princess Knights themselves is looking for you, friend." Reaching into his leather bag, he pulled out a roll of paper. Corzo tossed it to Flynn, who caught it with one hand and unraveled it.</p><p>Flynn's eyes narrowed as he scanned the document in his hands. "Why so? Looking for a bounty, perhaps?" Corzo shook his head in a negative manner.</p><p>"Nah, they were looking for you for their leader. Some high elf named-"</p><p>"Celestine Lucullus." Hae-Lin interrupted the two men, her Sabbath heavy SMG clipped to her rear end on a custom-made holster. "According to the locals, she's the reincarnation of the previous goddess, Selene, and is supposedly a highly potent mage in the land only rivaled by Olga Discordia, the Dark Elf Queen who rules Garan up north," she explained while she stretched out any muscle cramps to relax herself. Upon finishing with her stretches, she continued.</p><p>"If Lady Celestine herself wants you Flynn that could only mean something big is coming up."</p><p>Looking at one another, Flynn and Corzo raised their eyebrows. So there was an apparent goddess looking for Flynn now That made some form of sense. Orcs and various other lesser demons had plagued this land for as long as Eostia had existed, so having someone kill them by the droves in relatively short time would gain attention of many individuals, a goddess included.</p><p>He broke out of his thinking state as he went over to the heavily used bench at the side of the room and sat down. The two circular pieces on the sides of his belt began to glow a dim blue, with Flynn pulling out his various firearms and melee weapons and set them on the bench.</p><p>After an hour or so of cleaning, maintaining and repairing his weapons (with Hae-Lin practicing her swordplay and Corzo playing around with his Nimurdal boomerangs, twirling them around), Flynn looked over each of his weapons and ammunition.</p><p>His chainsaw still had a lot of fuel in reserve. One of the good things in this world was, due to the lack of expansive movements by industrial technology, fossil fuels were in plentiful supply and just waiting to be harvested. This world's fossil fuels are a little cruder than those back on Earth, but they were sufficient enough for his repurposed lumbering tool.</p><p>The fire-axe was in near perfect condition, still. The blade and overall head hadn't dulled nor had the length of the weapon had shown signs of damage.</p><p>His handguns were still fully stocked. The 0.460 Rowland rounds were still plentiful at six hundred rounds to spare, with his UAC M45 Combat Handguns still being full with twenty rounds loaded in the magazine and one extra round in the chamber; the suppressor and the laser aiming module of the handguns were in perfect condition as well. The 0.750 Hyperion Magnum rounds were in short supply at only one hundred twenty rounds in reserve, with the cylinder's six chambers of his UAC B-750 Revolver all filled with the powerful hunting purpose rounds and was also outfitted with a low-powered scope for hunting purposes.</p><p>His M17 Zulu-Sec sub-machine-guns was also fully stocked as he had saw little use of the weapon in his time here. Fifty rounds of 10.16mmX32mm Z-Sec rounds loaded in each quad-stacked magazine plus one in the chamber with eight hundred rounds to spare. The compensators were slightly worn; he will be forced to go without them sooner or later if he does not find sufficient materials.</p><p>His lone shotgun was running low in reserves. It was chambered in different kinds of 6-Gauge Magnum shells, with the standard buckshot numbering at two hundred shells to spare, the slugs at one hundred forty shells, and the dragon's breath at a mere eighty shells. His DS-117 Combat Shotgun was kitted for urban combat and even the occasional hunt or two, its barrel loaded with a full choke and being modified with a double-stacked twenty round magazine plus an extra shell in the chamber. It had a top-mounted 40.64mmX53mm grenade launcher to increase its lethality more.</p><p>The M30 Battle Rifle was plentiful in ammunition and in good condition, with thirty rounds of 9.3mmX64mm plus one in the chamber and outfitted with an under-barrel grenade launcher and a multi-power scope. He had ten mags or three hundred rounds extra in reserve.</p><p>His two machine-guns were rather low on reserve ammunition. The M461 Auto-Cannon was a potent weapon, sure, with its high precision purpose scope and under-barrel revolver grenade launcher, but the 20.32mmX114mm rounds were in short supply at only one hundred fifty rounds fully loaded in the loaded ammo canister plus two other ammo canister's worth of ammunition.</p><p>The Delta-12 'Chaingun' was also running the same problem. Only three hundred 20.32mmX114mm rounds loaded in the massive drum magazine and only two drum magazines to spare, that's bad especially for a weapon that can fire at six thousand rounds per minute.</p><p>His launchers were in the reserves. It made no sense for him to use any of them unless there was a real good reason. The Mk-168 Guided Rocket Launcher was still fully stocked with its side-mounted box loaded to six 88mmX154mm rockets and with ten boxes in reserve.</p><p>His Mk-38 Grenade Machine Gun used the same 40.64mmX61mm rounds his Shotgun and Battle Rifle used for their grenade launchers, feeding through a twenty round drum magazine and with five extra drums to spare.</p><p>The Argent Energy weapons were also untouched and unused during his time in this world. The XM-700 Argent Plasma Rifle was in pristine condition, its somewhat blocky exterior thanks to its external magnetic coils keeping the gun in stable condition and preventing the Argent Energy within it from getting too 'excited' and firing on its own. The Thermal Extractors, which enable the weapon to fire off excessive heat in the form of an intense short-ranged stream of flames, were intact, a few burn marks from the multiple times he had used that particular feature of the weapon. The under-barrel Stun Bomb Launcher was also in good condition. The battery loaded in the weapon was still full, translating to sixty 'shots' before requiring a recharge or replacement which he has ten batteries to spare.</p><p>The XM-900 Argent Railgun was also in the same boat as the Plasma Rifle, unused and kept to the reserves. A fearsome weapon, the parallel electromagnetic conductors are able to propel an armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot slug ten inches in length at speeds that outright shatter the sound barrier and can pierce through multiple heavily armored targets with sheer ease. It was modified with a high powered scope as well as the ability to feed from a magazine of sorts holding six slugs and he kept ten extra magazines with him.</p><p>As for the BFG-9000, the high-powered Argent Energy fueled cannon is currently kept for only the most extreme of emergencies. Given how each shot it fires is the equivalent to a miniature sun crashing onto a small country, all concentrated into an even relatively smaller spot, the Big Gun is off limits until a truly dangerous threat emerges and nothing short of one hundred Tyrant Daemons will change his mind on that decision.</p><p>Satisfied with their near-perfect condition, he began to put away his weapons, the circular pieces, Argent Accumulators in official UAC doctrine/logistics, breaking them down into small, glowing blue particles that were then absorbed into them, and leaving two weapons of his choice on the bench.</p><p>Taking the Battle Rifle, the Revolver and the Chainsaw, Flynn began to head to the ladder. "So where're ya going this time, big guy?" Hae-Lin asked, making him pause in his tracks and turned his head to her.</p><p>"Hunting," and with that, the Slayer climbed up the ladder and out of the cellar.</p><p>Hae-Lin blinked once before jerking her head to Corzo.</p><p>"Lemme guess? You're going back to that town?" a nod came from the gunslinger.</p><p>"You're gonna scrounge up more info?" another nod came, as she sighed in response.</p><p>"Alright, let's go. Better than sitting in this dump anyhow."</p><p>"You're coming with?" his voice, still low, showed the slightest hint of surprise. The Angel grinned at the Drifter.</p><p>"Yep," she popped the 'p' as she answered, "I need to stretch my legs." Without anything to say otherwise, the Drifter simply nodded and gestured her to follow him.</p>
<hr/><p>[Hawkhaven | A few minutes later]</p><p>Her band of warriors had arrived into the quaint town earlier than she had expected. She had no complaints regarding that although that would be her own thoughts trying to fool herself. Now she had to wait even more for the person or people she had been sent to speak with regarding the future state of the Alliance and the Kingdoms as a whole. Alicia Arcturus did not do well in entertaining herself, that's what jesters and fools were for. Still, she supposed it could have been worse. They could have encountered stragglers from one of the fractured war bands. Fractured because of three people, one of which she has been informed of being sighted frequently around Hawkhaven for some time.</p><p>According to some of the locals, he should be heading towards the inn at this time of day of the week. Perhaps if she were to-</p><p>"Princess, look," one of her knights, Karen, interrupted her musings. Following where her subordinate's finger pointed, she saw them.</p><p>The man's face was obscured by the shadows of his hat, yet they could see some locks of hair that were a strange blue color and his even stranger eyes. His torso was obscured mostly by a strange cape, covering whatever he wore underneath from view. He was well built, not like a muscle bounded orc, but much like a balanced warrior. His leggings were strange, not like the peasants that walk around them but they look to be of finer cloth much like that of the nobility.</p><p>His entire appearance stood out to them. This was him, one of the three strangers that had been quelling the demon armies of Garan in great numbers. And it would appear that he was accompanied by a friend.</p><p>She was as tall as they were, merely reaching up to the man's chest which spoke of the man's large stature alone. Her clothing was as strange as the stranger's, red leggings that had also covered a good portion of her front and a white blouse shirt that covered the rest of her torso and her upper arms. Her facial features were similar to that of Kaguya and her people, with warm brown eyes that reminded Alicia of the lovely chocolates her and her cousin would eat on special occasions. Her hair was a darker shade of brown with an odd patch of white hair proudly displayed in up front. A strange bloodline mark, perhaps?</p><p>Whatever the case, it was time to confront them and make certain of their cause and agenda. She will have to approach this with diplomacy as her father had taught her.</p><p>"You there!"</p><p>[-|-]</p><p>"You there!" a sharp, feminine voice called out to them. Corzo didn't stop moving but he did turn his gaze to where the voice came from. He saw a group of knights, presumably from Feoh judging by their color and style as well as how Hawkhaven is within Feoh's territory. His attention was now on them, slowing down to a halt.</p><p>Their leader stood out from them. She was young, probably a year or so before reaching twenty years, and with the eyes that sparked with intensity and demanded authority and respect. Her appearance consisted of an azure blue blouse shirt that was of high quality and with gold cloth trims, with her navel and upper portions of her breasts exposed perhaps to serve as some form of distraction to any lesser foe. The pauldrons and gauntlets were silver, perhaps the magic enchanted kind rather than the regular silver, covering her arms yet still giving her a wide range of movement, these too having gold trims at certain areas. Her leggings were as sufficiently armored up to her knees, same color and style as her gauntlets and pauldrons, with skintight silk leggings covering her upper legs.</p><p>Her face was youthful, looking much like young European women back on Earth, with long flowing light blonde hair flowing down to her rear and azure blue eyes much like her dress. She sported a headdress of sorts, a metal band that sported two low domes at the sides.</p><p>It was clear to them both that she was Alicia Arcturus, the Shield Princess of Feoh and current leader of the Iris Knights. It appears that they weren't just looking for Flynn; they were looking for himself and Hae-Lin, too.</p><p>"Howdy," he greeted them, bringing his voice up to a more audible level while he stopped five feet from them. Hae-Lin was parallel to him, waving lightly at Alicia and her group.</p><p>"Hello!" she greeted with an air of confidence. Alicia seemed to not mind the styles of greeting they had as she simply nodded to them.</p><p>"I assume you know who I am?" the two nodded. Alicia's features softened slightly upon that response.</p><p>"Then you know why I and my knights are here," again, they nodded. Corzo spoke up, gaining their attention.</p><p>"Let's take this somewhere we can sit down. Wouldn't be too good to discuss this under the sun," he offered, his voice whispery but it carried over to their ears. Alicia could see the reasoning behind his words. It wouldn't do well at all. She gestured to the inn, which the Drifter nodded.</p><p>Now accompanied by ten knights and Alicia Arcturus, Corzo White and Jung Hae-Lin entered the inn. Their very presence and numbers gathered the attention of many within the inn. Eyes scanning the establishment, Corzo found a large and vacant table.</p><p>"That would be a good place to discuss," Hae-Lin spoke, earning nods from the Shield Princess. In a moment, they had sat down to discuss what needed to be discussed.</p><p>"I'm assuming this is about what we've been doing around these parts of your land, princess?"</p><p>"Yes," Alicia nodded, addressing the two with a hard gaze, "your actions have garnered the attention of the local lords who have brought it to our Goddess's attention." She explained in a calm and proper manner befitting of her stature. Corzo simply bit into his bread before drinking from his waterskin.</p><p>"I see," Hae-Lin mumbled as she bit into the meat on her plate. She can sense that the atmosphere amongst the knights were tense, their leader more so given how she's making an offer. "Then that would translate to you seeking us out for our services?"</p><p>"That is correct," Alicia answered, "servitude underneath the Goddess is an honor highly revered throughout t-"</p><p>"Spare me the religious shill," Corzo interrupted her, stunning the Shield Princess into silence, "just tell it to us straight if there's a true reason or not. Otherwise we have nothing to discuss," his tone was audible for everyone in the table and it held no room for nonsense.</p><p>Alicia's expression was like a gaping fish. Clearly, she had not expected this response from either of them. "Bu-bu-but service to the-"</p><p>"I don't care," he interrupted once more. "Unless there is a real reason as to requiring our services, you're wasting your time." He stared her down, and her azure blue eyes looked right into the glowing sea of white.</p><p>How dare he? How dare this man refuse the kind offer of Her Grace Herself? Gritting her teeth, Alicia tried to find another reason.</p><p>"Then perhaps you will do it for coin, then?"</p><p>"Depends on the pay and what's the quarry," came the answer of the strangely clothed man. This situation might be salvageable, even if it wasn't how she envisioned it to go. One of her knights piped up.</p><p>"Oh right," the two's attention were on her, "there are reports of a nearby Orc Warband near this town. They've been gathering some forces there for some time now." Corzo nodded at the knight.</p><p>"Then it'll be there we'll decide if we'll come with you or not," the stranger spoke, finishing his meal and vacating the table. Alicia had also stood from the table.</p><p>"We shall accompany you," he turned his head to address her with his reply.</p><p>"Are you armed?" Alicia patted to her sword and replied back to him.</p><p>"We've swords and some bows. One of us, Vera, is carrying a musket for ranged support." They would suffice for now, he had supposed. Reaching into his pouch, he pulled out a weapon that should not have fit in there.</p><p>"A magic pouch?" Corzo pulled back the bolt and inserted two 0.50-BMG rounds into the two barrels of his rifle. Under the shadows concealing his face, he grinned at the stunned Alicia.</p><p>"Let's get to hunting."</p>
<hr/><p>[Garran Badlands | At the same time]</p><p>Multiple thundering sounds like lightning roared out, followed by the collapsing of greenskinned bodies and various thin pieces of yellowish metal littering the ground.</p><p>The Slayer quickly chased after the Orcs and Imps fleeing, shooting the latter in the head with his Battle Rifle as he did and brutally ripping apart the former with his Chainsaw. The Fuel Counter read at 86%, so the Slayer had plenty of victims to go through before it goes empty on him again.</p><p>Switching out his Battle Rifle for his Revolver (the former flashed in a bursts of blue pixels and disappeared into his Argent Accumulators), he began to snipe at the rest of the war band, making sure to position and angle himself so that he kills two or more Orcs with a single well placed shot, resulting in gory explosions with how much power was packed into each round.</p><p>As the last of them fell, the Slayer ejected the emptied shells and inserted brand new ones. Snapping the cylinder back into place and cocking back the hammer, he began to move quickly through the deserted wasteland that is the Badlands.</p><p>He'd been here every now and then to quell the war bands and their demonic brethren. Not once had he suffered from the life-draining atmosphere this place had over other regular beings of life. Taking in his surroundings, the Slayer noticed the forest where a nearby war camp was rumored to be located. Where there was a war camp there were Orcs. And where there were Orcs there were prisoners. And where there were prisoners there were killed men and violated women.</p><p>He strode to where the war camp was. It was massive, as expected of the Orcs. They may be perceived as large brutes but one has to admit that for primitive brutes, they can build formidable fortresses.</p><p>A couple of Orcs where guarding the outside, accompanied by a two dozen imps; these weren't the ones he had grown accustomed to in Hell, however. Where the Imps from Hell were lanky and tall as regular humans, these were small as children and sported bat-like wings.</p><p>There was no need to sneak around. Emerging from the dead trees, he announced his presence the one surefire way he knew would grab their attention: Loud noises through the medium of gunfire.</p><p>Giving them no time to react, the Slayer opened fire with his Battle Rifle, the rounds tearing through each imp with pinpoint precision. Twenty four imps fell, leaving the six Orcs guarding the entrance. For supposed dumb brutes, they quickly charged the man in green and silver armor, intent on crushing him.</p><p>They were welcome to try. Dodging under their strikes, he punched them hard in their thighs and guts. Normal humans would've broken their fists upon doing so. But not the Slayer, with his unique physiology and his experiences and time spent in Hell, who broke what he punched. They caved in, leaving them open to be finished off. Leaping back from another swing from another Orc, he punished the disgusting thing with a swift shot through the head. The round, designed to penetrate both big game and light armored vehicles, tore through a third of the Orc's head and sent it falling back with a thud. He held his hand out to catch a club headed for his face and pulled, bringing with it the Orc holding the weapon. Kneeing the thing in the groin, and crushing whatever was in there, he follows up by twisting its neck a full 360 degrees, effectively decapitating it. Turning his attention to the remaining four Orcs, he began to tear them apart.</p><p>He rammed one directly in the chest, grabbing him in two different areas before slamming his knee right into his gut. The result was the Orc snapping like a twig under his strength. The next Orc was given a sift chop to the neck before a rising uppercut disintegrated the face. The third received a chainsaw going through its gut and slicing it in half vertically. The fourth and final Orc was grabbed by their arm and had said arm brutally pulled out. As it screamed, the Slayer swung the thick arm like a bat, smashing its head and a good portion of the upper body to gored bits.</p><p>As the bodies fell, the Slayer quickly made his way to the entrance, freshly reloaded Battle Rifle in hand. Doing an ammo count and seeing the 9.3mmX64mm round properly seated in the chamber, he sets foot inside the war camp.</p><p>On the outside, the war camp was surprisingly Spartan in decoration. But on the inside of the camp were hundreds of human skulls littering in piles all across the camp, set on fire for their tribal reasons.</p><p>There around thirty Orcs in the camp, each one wearing loincloth and sporting various crude yet effective weapons made out of hard bone, stone, wood, or combinations of any or all of the three. The Imps, ninety of them, were wearing crude bronze plates or wooden panels to go with their boneheaded spears.</p><p>Then there was their War Chief. Armored in thick bones of creatures long dead and wielding a large staff the thickness of some trees tipped with large stone heads, he made for an imposing figure. He towered over the other Orcs, who were merely 7 feet or 2.13 meters in height, at over 14 feet or 4.26 meters in height with the appropriate muscle mass to go with that height.</p><p>"So youz da 'un datz been messin up me boyz!" the War Chief spoke with a hint of a cockney accent, odd. The Slayer's only response was a quickly squeeze of the trigger and the rifle's bullet slamming into the war chief's thick skull, creating a deep furrow in his horse skull helmet.</p><p>The war chief roared in pain and ordered his fellow Orcs to attack, with the Imps beginning to swoop down on the Slayer. He quickly moved, dodging the assortment of clubs, maces, and rusty swords and retaliating by firing three-round bursts into their skulls as punishment for their poor aim in melee combat.</p><p>After thirteen Orcs fell, he reloaded his gun and swapped it out for the Fire-Axe. Facing the Imps, he leapt high into the air and swung in a wide arc, catching five or six Imps with the blade and causing them to explode into giblets from the sheer force of the swing. Ducking under an Orc's swing of his wooden club, the Slayer retaliated and struck the back of the right knee, causing dark red blood to spill over the already bloodied land below them and the Orc to fall from lack of balance.</p><p>Executing it quickly with a strong one-handed chop from his fire-axe, the Slayer quickly fired three more bursts before reloading, the rounds reducing the remaining Imps down to a manageable nineteen. Flipping the switch, the Slayer fired full-auto at the flying Imps, taking one or two down within every five rounds. Twelve down, seven to go.</p><p>Reloading, he rolled out of another Orc's attack and pulled out his Revolver. Closing the distance between them, he fired one shot into the ugly thing's groin, destroying whatever was there, and the second shot into its head, causing it to explode in a satisfyingly gory way. Pivoting, the Slayer quickly dispatched the remaining Orcs, the thundering booms of the weapon echoing throughout the war camp and forest.</p><p>Aiming at the remaining Imps, who took the opportunity to scratch at his armor while he was killing Orcs, he fired six shots, reloaded, and repeated the process until all Imps were dead on the ground.</p><p>In the aftermath of the battle are thirty dead Orcs and ninety dead Imps, the Slayer standing at the center of it all, a bloodied Revolver in one hand and a bloodied Fire-Axe in the other hand.</p><p>The War Chief hummed at the scene before charging with a wordless roar at the Slayer. Simply standing still in his place, the Slayer simply placed away his Revolver and readied his fire-axe. Once the war chief got close, the ugly thing swung his large spear only for the Slayer to skillfully dodge the weapon and drive his fire-axe into the war chief's hand severing it nearly with a few muscles keeping it barely attached to the wrist. The war chief roared in pain and swatted the Slayer aside with his shield. The Slayer impacted against one of the wooden totems and grunted. Falling to his knees and palms, the Slayer tucked away the fire-axe into subspace and simply readied his fists.</p><p>The war chief roared again and charged this time shield first. The Slayer took note that the shield obscured most of the war chief's vision from the nose down and took advantage of that. Quickly ducking out of sight and rolling to the left, the Slayer felt the wind displace as the larger greenskin pass him rather quickly and crash into the wooden totem. Capitalizing on the moment, the Slayer rushed to the war chief's exposed back. Rearing one fist back, he punched at the center of the exposed back, piercing through the thick skin and grabbing the spine. Using his other hand, the Slayer punched through the upper back and grabbed that part of the spine there.</p><p>And, with surprising amount of strength for any human being to possess, the Slayer had completely lifted the war chief and began to pull in opposite directions, Seconds later, the body was brutally ripped in two, showering the Slayer in blood and guts and gore and all that good stuff as he casually threw away the two halves of the war chief to the side.</p><p>The job was done, now to get his pay from his employer.</p>
<hr/><p>[Unknown Area]</p><p>
  <em>She had opened her dark emerald eyes to an entire sea of fire surrounding a black and barren land. Frantically looking around, the woman could only see rocky valleys and mountains, all void of any signs of life.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Celestine Lucullus, the Goddess Reincarnated, shook in her place. One moment she was sleeping soundly in her keep in Ken, the next she was somehow transported here to this barren landscape.</em>
</p><p>"Where am I?! What is this place?!"<em> She screamed in her mind as she continued scanning the barren landscape. She had to get back home! She was needed back with her people, her friends and the Alliances!</em></p><p>
  <em>When she started to move from her spot, she heard something far off into the distance. Her High Elf ears picked them up, but she had to strain them (which was a rarity for her nowadays), and she thought the sound to be that of thunder. That is until she realized something.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The blood red sky of this strange land had the normal amount of clouds one would see on a normal sunny day. No thunderclouds were in the sky at all. And the noise that she heard sounded like it was closer to the ground rather than the sky.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The logical part of her mind's telling her to get away from the sound, while the curious side of it was telling her to find out what it was.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Against the more logical side of her, Celestine began to make her way slowly to the sound's location. As the seconds passed, she picked up the pace as she began to walk up the slight slope of the hill blocking the source of the sound.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>That's when she heard multiple noises sounding like the one she heard before going off in rapid succession. It sounded like a group of cannons firing off in a volley.</em>
</p><p>"Another person, maybe they could help me!"<em> Celestine thought as she quickly made it over the hill.</em></p><p>
  <em>What she saw would forever stay with her until the end of her days. There were hundreds of horrifying monsters all converging in onto one spot.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>A majority of them consisted of lean creatures nearly six feet tall, some of them black with multiple spikes jutting from their shoulders and back while others were of a dull gray coloring with no spikes while the rest of these lean creatures were colored in a light shade of brown with some parts of them being blue.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>There were others as well just as numerous as the lean creatures (perhaps more, but she couldn't count the numbers), being human in terms of appearance and clothing, but their weaponry was quite bizarre to the Goddess Reincarnated. Some of them were carrying oddly shaped silver wands while others carried large black rams with multiple brass pieces attached to it. They wore uniforms of black, gray, and red depending on their weapon in their hands. These strange warriors seemed to be on the frontlines of this large battle.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The larger monsters caught Celestine's attention. Dull pink bull-like monsters were charging, accompanied by blood-red variations of them with silver rear legs and black versions that left phantom trails in their wake.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Then there were the large bipeds. Hulking gray eyeless beasts easily taller than an Orc with four claws on each hand and three claws on each foot leapt and created shockwaves in their path, caring not for their human allies that were either trampled or blown to the side.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>There were also the large, pinkish red muscular Minotaurs with dark gray horns, shaggy brown legs and black hooves that accompanied them. While their numbers were smaller in comparison to the aforementioned, their presence was unquestioned. In each of their pinkish red hands were green orbs of fire as they threw them in a slow manner at the unseen (in Celestine's eyes) foe. While lesser in number, there were bright orange versions of the pinkish red Minotaurs. These ones had pitch black legs covered entirely in large pieces of carapace instead of fur and had equally black spikes jutting from their shoulders, elbows, and spine. Their heads sported pitch black horns to finish off their terrifying visage.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Then there were the deathly thin undead warriors easily taller than the tallest Elves. Covered in bright white chest plates with strange contraptions that spewed fire from their bottoms, these skeletons flew and fired fast moving projectiles from their shoulder mounted rods.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Black versions of these warriors were also visible, with only one large rod on their shoulder that fired methodically. Celestine was surprised that the projectiles were taking the shape of stars!</em>
</p><p>"Such numbers! How is this possible?!"<em> She panicked internally as she continued to note the different varieties of monsters. Not even Olga Discordia, her counterpart, nemesis and old friend, could muster an army this massive, and that was saying something!</em></p><p>
  <em>More of these monsters showed themselves. One species consisted of disgustingly fat (even more so than Orcs) light brown monsters covered in some stony armor that barely covered them and left their nauseating guts exposed. Their hands sported no claws, but rather odd cylindrical devices that spewed out long and intense flames from the large holes or fired out massive fireballs. Green variations of these things were also present, spewing acid instead of fire at the yet-unseen threat.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>There were also these flying, balls that either shot purple balls of light from their maws or coughed out flaming skulls. The ones spewing out the purple balls of light were red with tiny little arms while the ones coughing out the flaming skulls were dull brown with black horns.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Celestine heard them all growling, roaring, moaning, and made all other sounds that were unnaturally disturbing to hear. She tried to block them out, but her Elven attributes betrayed her. She heard odd whirring sounds followed by stomping and she saw disgusting heads mounted on four legged light-gray metal constructs that transported them across the landscape. From underneath their bodies came fast moving bright blue projectiles that haphazardly exploded against anything they made contact with, sending out a mix of lightning and blue slime everywhere within small vicinities that melted the ground slightly.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>More evolved versions of them also were there. Their black armor contrasted the others' light-gray armor, but they all were the same. Much like the first ones, they fired projectiles from their undercarriages; these ones were of a pinkish violet instead of bright blue.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Then there were the third version of these multi-legged beings. These ones were of pitch black fleshy masses mounted on a four-legged metal construct that spewed flames much like the skeletons in bright white chest plates that allowed them to fly. They either fired fast moving yellow spears of light or red orbs of magic at rapid paces.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Celestine covered her mouth in horror. These creatures were getting more bizarre by the minute as more entered her vision.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>To her rear, she heard an odd cackling sound. Against her fear, her curiosity made her turn around to see tall light brown figures, lean and with some muscle on them, conjuring pillars of fire where more monsters were coming out of.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Then there were red versions of these tall figures with thin short tails ending in arrowhead shapes that quickly zipped across the battlefield and leaving trails of red light in their wake, eliciting ghoulish screams as they passed her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Then there are dull orange figures featuring thicker and longer tails alongside pitch black spikes and horns that zigzagged across the demonic army, leaving trails of fire in their wake. The heat of the flames made Celestine back off and turn to see some of the even larger monsters this army had to offer.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Centaurs with the upper bodies of satyrs were the first to be noted. These creatures, much like the muscular Minotaurs, threw green fireballs at whatever they were facing. And then there are the larger versions of the four-legged beasts. These ones fired yellow spears that exploded against the land from strange rotating contraptions beneath them.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Hearing a rumbling sound, the High Elf saw large flesh creatures connected to odd contraptions that propelled them across the land with weird growths on their shoulders that fired slow moving white spears with red tips.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Hearing loud roars, she turned to see the sources to be even bigger Minotaurs in very limited numbers much like the large multi-legged heads! Light brown in their armored skin, these creatures red guts were also exposed but didn't disgustingly did so like the ones that spewed fire or acid from their hands. Their lower goat-leg halves were made out of metal, creating deep footprints in the ground with each thundering step. Their right arms ended in distinct human-like hands with a black talon-like protrusion extending from the wrist that, with each swipe, launched large crescents of fire. Their left arms, or rather their lower halves, sported large cannons that launched three white spears in succession. Out of all of them, these creatures made Celestine scared the most.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Suddenly, a bright flash filled her vision, causing her to shield her eyes with her arms and close them tight. The painfully bright light was gone in less than two seconds, and Celestine found herself in a new area.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>One where all the monsters she was just observing in terror were all converging on.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Her instincts told her to run, but her body couldn't move! She was petrified in fear! Here she was, seeing a vast sea of monsters in an equally monstrous land all coming in on her, and she felt much like a small pebble against a raging current.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She closed her eyes and began to pray, hoping that this was all a horrid nightmare she'd never have to experience ever again.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Loud thundering sounds erupted once more, this time they were close to here. Daring to open one eye, Celestine saw a lone man nearby just a few feet away.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He wore an oddly-shaped helmet with a blue piece of glass concealing away his eyes from her. His chest plate was a damaged dark green, much darker than some of the dark green leaves of the forests of Eostia, covered in dried blood and decorated with a wide assortment of scars, burns, and other forms of damage one would sustain in a battle. It exposed his abdomen, to which she blushed at how chiseled they were. Hell, everything about this man was like it was chiseled to absolute perfection.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Underneath his chest plate and outlining his muscular body was a dark charcoal gray shirt that had short sleeves covering a bit of his upper arms. His forearms were covered in shiny but bloodied silver gauntlets, also damaged like his chest plate.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>His lowers consisted of green pants covered in pads of armor (dark green for the upper portion and silver for the lower portion) and had boots for footwear. Not only that, but he was taller than any Elf she had met over the past millennia of her life. This man towered over her and the lean creatures and their human allies.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She also noticed that the demons were ignoring her and going straight for the man.</em>
</p><p>"They're… going after him? But why would they need this many of their ranks? Surely one man couldn't be that deadly?"<em> Celestine thought as she took in the tall and muscular individual's features, blushing as she did.</em></p><p>
  <em>In his hands were odd weapons, Celestine noted. One of them was large, dark gray at the top and rear portions area and lighter gray at the bottom portion, but glowed green at the central top of it and on the front. She heard the loud humming coming from the weapon as green lightning sparked out of the large contraption.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The other weapon was a light brown and blocky weapon with the center piece being black. Its front flashed multiple instances of fire, followed by the same yellow streaks that the some of the disgusting heads mounted on their metal constructs fired from their undercarriages.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The yellow streaks/spears tore through the demon ranks, and Celestine once again covered her mouth in horror or terror as each one had a massive chunk of their body destroyed from when a yellow spear impacted against them, going through their body and destroying a massive part of it and finally slamming into more demons that were unfortunately behind the first wave of demons.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The thundering sounds of the weapon and the squeals of the dying monsters filled a sense of dread deep within Celestine's core. Stepping back, she watched with widened eyes as the tall, muscular and mysterious figure take down a majority of the more numerous monsters quickly from his oddly shaped staff.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Some of the lean beasts lunged at him. With such numbers and the fact that they had surrounded him would've logically meant his fate was sealed.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The man suddenly moved with a speed that rivaled lightning and activated his other weapon. Celestine gaped in awe as a large green ball of energy formed in less than a second and flew. Multiple bolts of lightning shot out from the orb, disintegrating many of the more numerous monsters before impacting against one of the pinkish red Minotaurs. The resulting explosion created a shockwave that knocked the beautiful High Elf down on her shapely ass and vaporized any of the monsters within a fairly sized vicinity of the impact, leaving gory chunks of the larger monsters and splattering red, green, and blue colors of blood all over the battlefield.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Jumping up, the man turned to another area of the demon horde and activated his large weapon once more, getting the same gory result as the last one.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>This battle- no, massacre, Celestine corrected herself- lasted for quite a while before only the larger and tougher demons were left.</em>
</p><p>"Wh-wh-what is it with this man?! No mere mortal could move that quick and decimate a massive group of demons in such a short period of time!"<em> Celestine said to herself as she watched the armored figure taking on the skeletons and the larger monsters.</em></p><p>
  <em>Suddenly, guttural growl sounded from behind her. Once again, against her rational side, she turned to see a surviving monster leap at her directly!<br/>
</em>
</p>
<hr/><p>[Ken | Celestine Lucullus's Private Bed Quarters | Night Time]</p><p>She woke up with a scream. Frantically looking around, Celestine found herself back in her private quarters in Ken. Clutching her chest to calm her rapidly beating heart, the Goddess Reincarnated hyperventilated for about a few seconds to possibly two minutes before calming down. The things she saw in her vision came back in a flash. The various monsters of different forms and powers all serving as part of a massive demon army that makes the ones Olga made a deal with look pathetic in comparison. And then there was that large man. The aura (or <em>ki</em> as her friend, and one of the Princess Knights, Kaguya would call it) he exuded was so outright murderous that it could leave a stinking impression on her fair city for generations to come and could suffocate many strong-willed individuals and outright kill the weaker ones if possible.</p><p><em>"What does it all mean?"</em> Clutching her head tightly and wracking it for answers, she was interrupted when her majestic and finely carved dark wooden doors were opened rapidly as three individuals rushed into the room.</p><p>The one in the middle stood out from the two others who were nondescript at most. She was a fairly beautiful human female with healthy light skin tone. Her bust and ass were eye-catching, sure, but so was her blade in figurative and literal senses. Her armor was finely crafted, with azure plates accentuating her frame well alongside the very light purple metal. Unlike Celestine's robes, her armor covered up many vital parts of her body although her sides and the upper portion of her breasts were still exposed. Her pauldrons and gauntlets were made of fine enchanted silver and trimmed with platinum gold. Her legwear consisted of armored greaves and tight leggings, sufficiently armored while still giving her a wide range of movement. A bright blue two-tailed dress was worn underneath her armor, carefully covering her crotch and allowing some breathing room for her hips. Her blonde hair was tied into a ponytail with some bangs framing her beautiful face.</p><p>She was tall, reaching to Celestine's height with the help of her heels, at five feet and ten inches without the heels of her armored boots. Her steel blue eyes could pierce the toughest of steel if she had the ability to do so, and it aided to her authority amongst the Seven Shield Alliances.</p><p>This was Claudia Levantine, daughter-in-law to decorated war veteran Grave Levantine and wife to scholar Klaus Levantine, as well as being Celestine's close friend during the recent years of this long-going war.</p><p>"Lady Celestine!" Her strict, disciplinarian tone showed signs of concern as she barged in when she and her knights heard the scream. Taking two of her best Templars, she quickly raced up the tower's long-winding steps to ensure that the Goddess Reincarnated was safe from harm.</p><p>"Are you alright?! We heard screaming from down below and came as soon as we heard!" Claudia rushed to Celestine's side and her face showed obvious signs of alertness and concern.</p><p>By the time Claudia's words registered in Celestine's mind, she began to calm down. Waving off her friend's concern, she replied with a somber smile.</p><p>"It's fine Claudia. I just had a nightmare, that's all." Though unconvinced, Claudia glanced at the two other knights and dismissed them. With a salute (which was done by the right fist firmly placed on the left breast and bowing slightly), the two knights left and closed the intricate pair of doors, giving Celestine and Claudia some privacy.</p><p>"Celestine," the leader of the Dawn Templars began with a tone of a concerned and caring mother speaking to her hurting child, "please. Tell me what's wrong?" Placing a firm hand on Celestine's shoulder, Claudia requested.</p><p>Seeing no way out other than telling her friend, Celestine sighed and placed one of her hands on Claudia's own.</p><p>"Do you believe in life on other worlds, Claudia?" the question took Claudia for a spin as she involuntarily flinched slightly before she steeled herself once more.</p><p>"If I may, what brought that up, Lady Celestine?" she asked, her tone losing the hardened edge and was replaced with a much softer tone. The question her leader and close friend was something her loving husband could answer better, not her, a knight and a fighter.</p><p>Celestine replied, her voice in a tone of a frightened child.</p><p>"What I saw in my nightmare horrified me. The demons I saw were more terrifying than the Orcs and their allies of the north. So many of them, it was like a sea of horrid and wretched beasts ready to conquer many worlds." Claudia's eyebrows shot to her hairline at that answer.</p><p>An army of demons more terrifying than the ones encountered at the northern parts of Eostia? Such a thing was silly to imagine and yet so terrifying to realize the possibility of it coming true.</p><p>"But why did you ask me of a question involving life on other worlds, Lady Celestine?" Celestine inwardly sighed at Claudia's habit to call her Lady even in times of privacy.</p><p>"Because the nightmare I had just now… had a barren landscape, an entire sea of fire and the skies were blood red." Nearly jumping back in surprise, Claudia also could see why she asked that question in the first place.</p><p>Seas of fire, barren and desolate landscapes, and blood-red skies… Those sounded like the homeworld of all demonkind if Claudia would think of it as such.</p><p>"I… I see. Lady Celestine, I can only be honest with you and say that I know not of such a concept. My husband may know, Your Grace, as he has been studying various new topics these days."</p><p>Celestine smiled at her friend's honesty. That was one of the reasons why she trusted her Princess Knights, each of them personally handpicked by her and they had proven themselves worthy of their title time and time again. Then she remembered that one creature that lunged at her. She shivered visibly, terrified at the creature's visage as it quickly came at her with the intent to kill.</p><p>"T-Thank you for your honesty, Claudia, you are dismissed." With a salute, Claudia Levantine slowly left the room and quietly closed the doors, leaving Celestine alone for the time being. Sighing in relief, the Goddess Reincarnated looked to the starry sky from her open balcony. Seeing the twinkling stars and the shining moon gave her hope that all she saw was a nightmare. However, she frowned when the large man in green armor flashed across her mind. Her instincts told her to stay away from the man, yet her heart's telling her to be as close to the man as possible. As if he was a shield that would never break no matter the danger around him.</p><p>With that, Celestine Lucullus retired for the night with a heavy thought in her mind.</p>
<hr/><p>[Garan | The Black Citadel | Around the same time]</p><p>Within the confines of her castle, she could feel <strong><em>him</em></strong> moving about, the infernal creature that had been with her since the beginning of her reign. <strong><em>His </em></strong>very presence seems to catch up to her, no matter how many walls and floors are between them. It was a grim reminder of what she had done. The very weight of it alone made her slightly buckle from her throne.</p><p>"Milady?" ah, she had forgotten that she wasn't alone within the vast throne room. Chloe was always eager to prove herself to her, even at the cost of her own wellbeing.</p><p>Olga Discordia turned her head to her handmaiden. "What is it, child?" her voice, calm with a hint of seduction, was like chocolate to the young elf's ears. Shuddering slightly, Chloe then calms herself before speaking up.</p><p>"Are you well, Milady? I thought I saw the faintest twitch of your form." She was endearing, the young girl, but it was that loyalty that made the weight even worse. She smiled sadly at her handmaiden before dismissing her worries with a wave of her hand.</p><p>"It is fine, Chloe. It was merely my exhaustion catching up to me." Though skeptical, Chloe simply nodded at her Mistress's words.</p><p>"Why don't you visit Zan at her personal forge? Surely a few improvements on your wargear wouldn't be too much of a hassle?" Chloe nodded, immediately complying with her Mistress's words.</p><p>"I will, Milady. Perhaps I do need a few improvements before I head out for the next battle."</p><p>"Good girl," Olga smiled warmly at her handmaiden. She may not be hers by blood, but she felt like a daughter to Olga. "Now run along and tell Zan what you need for improvements."</p><p>Smiling back at her Queen, Chloe left silently, as expected of one belonging to Olga's personally chosen few Assassins. As the young elf maiden left, Olga's demeanor shifted, the weight fully crashing down onto her. She gritted her teeth, feeling the dark presence holding her down.</p><p><strong><em>"Balth'Azar…"</em></strong> she croaked out as the <strong><em>Daemon</em></strong> emerged from the shadows. <strong><em>He</em></strong> was massive, towering over many within the castle by a long shot and easily dwarfing even her Orc chieftains. <strong><em>His</em></strong> skin was dark red, like dried blood on a canvas, and <strong><em>His</em></strong> body was filled with rippling muscles, not an ounce of fat anywhere. The <strong><em>Daemon</em></strong>'s arms were muscular, each one capable of lifting large boulders with ease and throwing them at high speeds that put catapults to shame. They had the addition of bone like blades protruding from <strong><em>His</em></strong> forearms, ready to extend and retract at a moment's notice. <strong><em>His</em></strong> legs were just as muscular as <strong><em>His </em></strong>arms although they were darn brown and had few patches of shaggy fur. Olga craned her head to look at <strong><em>Monster</em></strong>'s face.</p><p>It was an unholy mix between a man, an ape, and a bull. Even without lips and with <strong><em>His</em></strong> teeth on full display, she could tell that this <strong><em>Monster</em></strong> was smiling at the dark miasma slowly constricting her form.</p><p><strong><em>"</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>y</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>d</em></strong><strong><em>a</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>l</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>i</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>M</em></strong> <strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>,</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>t</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>n</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>a</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>v</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>r</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>e</em></strong><strong><em>s</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong> <strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>e</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>l</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>b</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>m</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>u</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>h</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong> <strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>r</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>u</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>o</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>y</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong> <strong><em>s</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>s</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>e</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>r</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>d</em></strong><strong><em>d</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>a</em></strong> <strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>o</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>t</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong> <strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>y</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>a</em></strong><strong><em>w</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong> <strong><em>y</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>n</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>a</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong> <strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>t</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>a</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>h</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>t</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong> <strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>s</em></strong><strong><em>I</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>?</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>"</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong>the damned <strong><em>Thing</em></strong> had the gall to mock her while she was restrained. <strong><em>He </em></strong>would not be so cocky had she been free.</p><p><strong><em>"</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>s</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>n</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>a</em></strong><strong><em>e</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>m</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong> <strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>l</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>l</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>a</em></strong> <strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>y</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>b</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong> <strong><em>n</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>e</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>h</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>T</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>,</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>"</em></strong> <strong><em>̴</em></strong> <strong><em>He </em></strong>spoke, reading into her thoughts through their bond, and willing the miasma to slowly release her from their grip. Her eyes were wide as the <strong><em>Daemon </em></strong>circled around her before stopping at her front, a good twenty feet away.</p><p><strong><em>"</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>t</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>o</em></strong><strong><em>h</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>s</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong> <strong><em>t</em></strong><strong><em>s</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>e</em></strong><strong><em>b</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong> <strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>r</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>u</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>o</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>y</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong> <strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>h</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>t</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>i</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>w</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong> <strong><em>e</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>m</em></strong> <strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>e</em></strong><strong><em>k</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>i</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>r</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>t</em></strong><strong><em>S</em></strong><strong><em>,</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>"</em></strong> <strong><em>He</em></strong> spread <strong><em>His</em></strong> arms out as if to make <strong><em>Himself</em></strong> a bigger target to hit. She growled at the <strong><em>Daemon</em></strong> before her before gripping her scepter and firing up a powerful <strong><em>Infernis</em></strong> spell. Not even a second had passed nor had it even truly left her scepter's tip when the <strong><em>Daemon</em></strong> suddenly closed the distance and wrapped one hand around her body. The wind knocked out of her, Olga could do nothing but watch with wide eyes as the <strong><em>Daemon</em></strong> loomed over her. <strong><em>His </em></strong>emerald green eyes, before were merely dull in glow, were now ignited daemonic fire.</p><p><strong><em>"</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>e</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>m</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong> <strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>t</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>s</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>e</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>b</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong> <strong><em>n</em></strong><strong><em>a</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>c</em></strong> <strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>u</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>o</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>y</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong> <strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>d</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>n</em></strong><strong><em>o</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>c</em></strong><strong><em>e</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>s</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong> <strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>a</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong> <strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>r</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>o</em></strong><strong><em>f</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong> <strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>k</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>n</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>i</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>h</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>t</em></strong> <strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>t</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>o</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>n</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong> <strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>o</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>D</em></strong><strong><em>,</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>"</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong> <strong><em>̵</em></strong> <strong><em>He </em></strong>growled lowly, the voice making her body rumble. <strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>"</em></strong><strong><em>p</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>l</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>e</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>h</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>w</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong> <strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>,</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>w</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>o</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>n</em></strong> <strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>e</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>r</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>a</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong> <strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>u</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>o</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>y</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong> <strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>t</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>a</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>h</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>w</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong> <strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>m</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>o</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>r</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>f</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong> <strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>y</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>a</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>w</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>a</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong> <strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>s</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>n</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>o</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>e</em></strong><strong><em>a</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong> <strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>m</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>a</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong> <strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>I</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>.</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>"</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong> <strong><em>He </em></strong>rumbled once more. Releasing her, the <strong><em>Daemon </em></strong>disappeared into the darkness of the throne room, but he had left a lingering message within her head.</p><p><strong><em>"</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>e</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>l</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>p</em></strong><strong><em>o</em></strong><strong><em>e</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>p</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong> <strong><em>r</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>u</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>o</em></strong><strong><em>y</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong> <strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>e</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>k</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>i</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>l</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong> <strong><em>h</em></strong><strong><em>c</em></strong><strong><em>u</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>M</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong> <strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>.</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>n</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>e</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>t</em></strong><strong><em>t</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>o</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>g</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>r</em></strong><strong><em>o</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>f</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong> <strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>e</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>b</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong> <strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>o</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>t</em></strong> <strong><em>d</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>n</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>u</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>o</em></strong><strong><em>r</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>g</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong> <strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>e</em></strong><strong><em>h</em></strong><strong><em>t</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong> <strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>o</em></strong><strong><em>t</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>n</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>i</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong> <strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>l</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>l</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>a</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>f</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong> <strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>d</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>n</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>a</em></strong> <strong><em>r</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>e</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>t</em></strong><strong><em>t</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>a</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>h</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>s</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong> <strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>l</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>l</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>a</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>h</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>s</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong> <strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>n</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>g</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>i</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>e</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>r</em></strong> <strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>r</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>u</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>o</em></strong><strong><em>y</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong> <strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>,</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>s</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>e</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>m</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>o</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>c</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong> <strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>e</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>m</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>i</em></strong><strong><em>t</em></strong> <strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>e</em></strong><strong><em>h</em></strong><strong><em>t</em></strong> <strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>n</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>e</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>h</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>W</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>,</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>"</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong> <strong><em>̵</em></strong> those words were hauntingly calm and sent a chill up her spine in magnitudes.</p><p>Looking around, she saw nothing. The throne room was empty; the candles had died down, the sounds no more. It was deathly quiet.</p><p>With no one around, Olga Discordia wept.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: Alright, as promised, I have written up the first chapter of this rewrite. Hopefully this will be more decent than the last version. If you noticed, most of the revisions of this chapter had gone to the first portions of the chapter rather than to the later portions.</p><p>For those who are wondering how to get both the reverse text and glitch text, just search them up on Google. Any program will do. But for those who are wondering, here are what the Daemon said to dear little Olga:</p><p>"̶y̶da̵l̷i̶M ̷,̴t̶n̷a̶v̵r̴es̵ ̴e̶l̶b̶m̵u̴h̶ ̷r̷u̵o̶y̷ s̷s̷e̷r̴dd̴a ̷o̶t̵ ̷y̴aw̴ y̵n̶a̶ ̵t̶a̴h̴t̶ ̷sI̷?̵"̶= "Is that any way to address your humble servant, Milady?"</p><p>"̷s̵n̷ae̴m̵ ̵l̵l̷a ̴y̵b̵ n̶e̶h̴T̵,̶" ̴ = "Then by all means,"</p><p>"̴t̵oh̶s̴ ts̴eb̴ ̴r̶u̴o̴y̶ ̷h̷t̵i̶w̶ e̶m ̷ek̷i̶r̵tS,̶" = "Strike me with your best shot,"</p><p>"̷e̴m̶ ̵t̶s̷e̵b̶ na̷c ̵u̴o̷y̴ ̶d̵no̶ce̷s̷ ̴a̶ ̵r̷of̵ ̶k̶n̶i̴h̴t ̵t̴o̵n̴ ̶o̷D,̵"̴ ̵ = "Do not think for a second you can best me,"</p><p>"p̶l̶e̴h̷w̵ ̴,̵w̶o̶n ̴e̵r̷a̶ ̵u̶o̷y̷ ̶t̵a̵h̷w̷ ̴m̶o̴r̷f̷ ̷y̶a̶w̵a̴ ̵s̷n̷o̴ea̶ ̶m̵a̵ ̴I̵.̵"̷ = "I am aeons away from what you are now, whelp."</p><p>"̵e̴l̷poe̵p̵ r̵u̶oy̶ ̶e̶k̷i̶l̶ hcu̵M̷ ̵.̶n̴e̴tt̴o̴g̶ro̶f̴ ̵e̶b̴ ̷o̴t d̷n̷u̷or̷g̷ ̶eht̶ ̵ot̵n̵i̵ ̶l̵l̷a̵f̴ ̵d̷n̴a r̷e̷tt̵a̷h̶s̵ ̴l̴l̷a̴h̴s̶ ̶n̵g̷i̴e̵r ̴r̵u̶oy̶ ̵,̶s̵e̷m̵o̷c̴ ̴e̷m̵it ̶eht ̵n̴e̶h̴W̴,̴"̵ ̵ = "When the time comes, your reign shall shatter and fall into the ground to be forgotten. Much like your people," </p><p>So what do you guys think? Is it better than the original? Is it worse?</p><p>Anyways, please leave a review and make sure it's an actual review. I get annoyed by so many people posting those "update pls" comments that really grate on my nerves. If there are any concerns you had with this chapter please put them in your review and I will try my best to remedy them.</p><p>Until then, this has been EnriksD8. Peace!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. 02: In the Goddess's Grace</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>AN: So looks like I’ve made the right call with revising the original version. Hopefully I can satisfy you all again with this version. Enjoy! </p><p>Revision started: 01-27-2020 A.D. <br/>Revision uploaded: 03-18-2020 A.D. <br/>Date reedited: 03-18-2020 A.D. </p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>DOOM: Puer Infernalis V2 <br/></strong>
  <em>
    <br/>
  </em>
</p><hr/><p><br/>[Chapter 02: <em>In the Goddess’s Grace</em>] <br/><br/>[Nearby Wakefield] <br/><br/>They had taken a trail that went up a rocky hill. Uneven terrain made for hell for the knights and their metal greaves, Alicia feeling the same discomfort as her knights. Hae-Lin had a bit of a laugh when some of them nearly or had tripped over a few rocks, although she was considerate enough to help them up although she had the slight tendency to rub salt into the wounds so to speak. <br/><br/>Corzo observed the large group of Orcs and Imps walking about in the camp. How such numbers had not been quelled yet is lost on him. That did not matter, they will leave this region way or another. Glancing behind him, the Drifter could see Alicia and her knights were also watching the growing numbers with morbid interest and fear. He couldn’t blame them, such numbers remaining unseen for a substantial amount of time is a situation that causes immense problems through many individuals in power. Reducing their numbers here will contribute to Eostia’s overall efforts to repel this drawn out invasion and bring them a step closer to ending this millennium long war. <br/><br/>Or so would the general consensus be. Frankly speaking, he cared little to whatever motives and agendas these natives have in their fight against this invasive army. First and foremost, he was a bounty hunter, only the profit matters in the long run. That was how it always was to him for many years. <br/><br/>Taking a glance in another direction, he saw Hae-Lin meditating. He could faintly feel the Divine Powers granted to her flowing through her veins. She was energizing herself that was for certain. <br/><br/>“How long until we send for reinforcements?” the child’s voice reached his ears. He turned to face the heir to the Arcturus Throne fully before making a reply. <br/><br/>“It’ll take too long, sweetheart,” he inwardly chuckled as the Shield Princess’s eyebrow twitched in annoyance at his nickname of her, “besides,” he readied his Dangerous Game Double Rifle and aimed through the simple yet effective sights. Judging by their current distance, they were around half a kilometer or so from the actual camp itself. <br/><br/>“What me and my partner are about to do will negate the need for reinforcements.” Alicia scoffed at his answer. <br/><br/>“Typical sellsword, never trusting of honored knights.” He chose not to make a response yet, choosing instead to continue observing the activities in the camp below. Lowering the rifle, he reaches into his sack and pulls out a spotting glass before tossing it to the still meditating Hae-Lin, who caught it in one hand without opening an eyelid. Exiting from her meditating state, Hae-Lin stood up and looked through the glass, seeing the same thing Corzo was seeing. <br/><br/>“So when will we strike?” <br/><br/>“Patience,” he responded, earning a slight pout from her. She was always somewhat of a zealot at times, especially at eradicating anything Daemonic and/or Hellish. It was a miracle she had not tried to strike him or Taggert down due to their unique circumstances. Not that he would let her do so easily. There would’ve been a fight or two involved should they had gone that line. <br/><br/>“It would take time,” he responded to Alicia’s remark, “by the time reinforcements do arrive, they’d probably move or increase in number.” He did not turn his head to face her, opting to focus on the war camp just half a kilometer away. Wrapping the sling around his support arm, Corzo lowers his stance to one knee and takes aim once more. He zeroed in at five hundred meters, further than what many would fire rifles with plain irons would use, and steadied his rifle. <br/><br/>“One hundred Orcs, the Imps around twice that number, give or take,” he relayed what he saw to the others. Alicia used her own ornate spotting glass compared to his own plain one and watched the war camp’s inhabitants. Seeing that the Drifter was not lying, she hummed in slight discomfort before placing it back into her own pack. <br/><br/>“It would appear that you are correct, ruffian,” she spoke, her tone bordering the thin line of respect and arrogance, “their numbers and activity would be a gamble to send for reinforcements.” <br/><br/>“Good,” the Drifter had not bothered to look at her, finger resting softly on the first trigger. Breathing in, he analyzed various things: the speed and direction of the wind, the distance from him and the targets, and the gravity of this world. Upon finding them satisfactory and adjusting accordingly, he squeezed the trigger. <br/><br/>Compared to their 0.70-Caliber muskets, which had snappish barks, the 0.50-BMG round was like a roar of thunder to Alicia and her knights. 908 meters per second, it wasn’t even a second before the round outright slammed through one Orc and through two others. Their thick skin was akin to that of bear or other dangerous game and big game animals. It would withstand many small-arms fire but only for the first few shots. A high-powered rifle cartridge designed to defeat light armored vehicles and technology blows such thick skinned advantage out of the water. <br/><br/>Without missing a beat, his finger switched to the second trigger as he transitioned to a new target before firing. The same result played out. With both chambers triggered, he pulls back the straight-pull bolt to eject the spent rounds and chambering two new rounds into place. Lowering the rifle, he turns to see the stunned faces of Alicia and her knights. <br/><br/>“Let’s move, they know we’re here now,” he said before walking to cliff edge of the hill. Peering over, he could see that there was little for any of their land based fighters, of which they heavily dominated Origa’s armies, to use for climbing. Should the Orcs move onto their current position, they will have to circle around to find a path wide enough for their forces to pour through. He turned to the others, already seeing Hae-Lin readying her Sabbath SMG. The weapon will suffice, he supposed. 1200 rounds per minute, 9mmX27mm rounds in a sixty round coffin-magazine and with a rather effective suppressor screwed onto the threaded barrel. <br/><br/>“And how, pray tell, do you expect us to move without their notice?” Alicia asked in a peeved tone. “That musket of yours could rouse the dead from sleep!” She hissed at him, who simply walked down the trail alongside Hae-Lin. <br/><br/>“Then by all means, leave,” was the response to the irate girl’s words.  “If you do, then whatever your Goddess wants, I’ll deny.” The Shield Princess of Feoh gritted her teeth. This man was using her faith to the Goddess as leverage and as a bribe. <br/><br/>Underhanded and barbaric, as expected of someone untouched by the Light. Still, there are many things riding upon this that overrode her pride slowly but surely. Stepping a foot forward, she spoke up. <br/><br/>“No, I shall not leave.” She said in a firm tone, making the Drifter and the Angel stop in their tracks. “My honor as a knight means that I cannot turn away from a situation such as this lest I stain it with shame.” She hardened her eyes and stared hard into the Drifter’s own. She could not tell what emotion ran through those burning white eyes, but she could care less. <br/><br/>“As much as it pains my pride, I and my knights shall aid you in this fight.” She saw the subtle nod the towering man gave in response before he shifted his gaze towards her knights. Her own knights nodded in confirmation, mustering as much courage they can under a gaze such as his. Finishing his gaze, he turns his attention back to her. <br/><br/>“Then saddle up, lass,” he responded strangely, resuming his trek down the trail, this time everyone followed him. “Because my style of fighting is gonna be different than what your ilk are used to.” <br/><br/>[-|-] <br/><br/>Alicia was at a crossroads on what to make of the strange man’s words. On one hand, she can see a different style of combat. On the other, this was not how she had envisioned the supposed negotiations to go. She had expected a few exchanged words, not be dragged into what seems to be a suicidal attack against a growing war camp of Orcs! His companion wasn’t much help, the swordswoman simply drawing her blade and strange pistol in some manner of excitement. <br/><br/>Lunatics, she deemed these two. Unfit for service under the Goddess’s Light. Yet she could not deny the power of their weapons, especially that man’s musket that can fire multiple times and hit Orcs at great distances near-instantaneously. <br/><br/>“I suppose you aim to catch them unawares,” she hazarded a guess. The man nodded before pointing to the trees. <br/><br/>“I read that elves used to do this a long time ago, back when everyone was in tribes,” he explained, walking up to the nearest one and beginning to climb up. “I suggest you and your knights stick to my pal Hae-Lin over there,” he referred to the woman accompanying them as he situated himself on the higher branches of this thick forest. <br/><br/>“She’ll watch your back granted that you watch hers in kind,” even if he may not see it, Alicia nodded before turning to face the woman called Hae-Lin. <br/><br/>She was like Kaguya’s own countrymen, thin eyes and skin color of light olives. She gave a toothy grin, reminding Alicia of another Shield Princess that was rather carefree in her demeanor and service to the Goddess. <br/><br/>“Alrighty,” her voice was just as chipper as Maia’s, Alicia noted. “You heard Corzo, let’s get their asses!” Her choice of words was not what Alicia had expected of a swordswoman such as her. <br/><br/>Still, perhaps this could be a blessing of sorts in disguise. It’ll allow her insight on what these two are and perhaps she can learn a new fighting style from either of them. <br/><br/>She just hopes her knights will emerge relatively unscathed by the end of this. <br/><br/>Without another word, Alicia steels herself as she stood to the side of the shorter swordswoman. They moved through the forests as silently as they could in armor. They had wisely spread out to cover a larger area as well as fool some of their enemies who may have tunnel vision. <br/><br/>“Here they come,” the shorter of them suddenly said, raising the alarm amongst her knights with a suddenly calm voice. True to her word, Alicia and the others could hear the telltale heavy footfalls of the Orcs. <br/><br/>When the first greenskin loomed its ugly head, the sounds of crackling fire had begun. <br/><br/></p><hr/><p><br/>[Near Ansur | Same Time]<br/><br/>Light, he was large. They had been following the Behemoth for some time now. Even from where she and her girls were, they could see him clearly. A sharp contrast from the brown and green, this green and silver man (she used that term loosely, since she was sure no man was that large) strode through the countryside like a wraith unleashed. There was no way in Selene’s name this wasn’t the Behemoth, she knows this was the man they’ve been tasked to retrieve. <br/><br/>The question was: How on Eostia is she and her girls going to achieve this without getting their collective arses kicked in? For a while, Maia had no concrete answer. She and the girls may love the thrill but none of them were truly insane and/or outright suicidal. <br/><br/>They’ve been shadowing the man for some time, mindful to keep their distance by a league or so. Any closer and the panicking horses would’ve alerted the man and that would’ve lead to some nasty happenings. <br/><br/>Maia wasn’t sure as to why the horses were spooked of this man. Perhaps it was his size or it was his foreign scent. Klaus had told her that animals had a sixth sense of sorts that allows them to sense things most couldn’t see so perhaps it was that. <br/><br/>Whatever the case, Maia wasn’t going to risk getting closer to the Behemoth until her horses calm down. <br/><br/>“Boss,” Eliza, her current second, called to her. <br/><br/>“Yeah?” Eliza pointed to where the Behemoth is, prompting Maia to follow the finger and see what had transpired. Bandits perhaps? Straggler Orcs and their allies? Or were the Black Dogs also on patrol on the orders of the Goddess? When she saw what was ahead, she stilled. <br/><br/>The Behemoth had stopped moving. In most cases, his back was facing them. Now, however, he was fully facing them. Somehow, he was looking right at <em>her</em>. Somehow, he had found out. <br/><br/>“What do we do, Boss?” another asked with unease evident in her voice. Maia looked briefly at the speaker before turning her attention back at the Behemoth. Breathing deeply, she made her decision. <br/><br/>“We greet our man,” she said, tone serious as she looked at the green and silver giant of a man. She heard the same woman gulp in response. She was nervous as was she. They’ve made it this far, there was no sense in backing out. <br/><br/>Maia patted her horse, whispering into her ear. “It’s okay, girl,” she comforted her, “let’s take this slow.” She lightly urged it to move, the horse trotting towards the man a league or so away. Behind her, Maia’s warriors followed in formation. <br/><br/>Looking forward, she could see that the man had not moved an inch as far as she could tell. She urged her horse to move and she slowly picked up the pace. <br/><br/>Time to make history, she supposed. <br/><br/>[-|-] <br/><br/>They’ve been tailing him for days now, ever since he had left the hideout to collect a few supplies to continue his little crusade. He would’ve thought they’d grow bored and left him be. He supposed that’s what he gets for having some form of optimism for himself. Still, none of his tails were hostile at first glance. But appearances can be deceiving as he had learned over the countless years of fighting. Using the scope mounted on his M461 Auto-Cannon, he saw exactly who were tailing him in a second. <br/><br/>A sleeved jacket red in color that reminds him of blood and with a white fur collar, open at the top to show her rather impressive mounds, and blue skin-fitting pants held up by a snug-fit belt. Dark brown fingerless gloves and knee-length boots covered her hands and feet respectively. At her hips were two scabbards, each one occupied by her swords. Her face was beautiful, young and with reddish-pink eyes that sparkled with mischief and wonder. Her hair was the same color as her eyes, kept short and barely went past her neck and decorated by a single black headband. <br/><br/>Maia of Ansur, self-proclaimed Queen of Mercenaries and the ruling Princess Knight of that massive hive of a city, accompanied by her personal band of warrior women. They seemed to have picked up the pace and were approaching him quickly. Their leader, Maia, rode her steed unlike most of the Princess Knights he had gathered information on. Where the likes of Alicia Arcturus and Claudia Levantine rode with grace and as if they were in a parade, Maia rode like a woman on a mission. Given how she and her warriors were trailing him, he would be their mission. When she was exactly fifteen meters away from him, she slowed down her horse to a trot and then to a halt at seven meters away. Her fellow warriors trailed behind her, spreading out as if to surround him. <br/><br/>Lowering his large gun, he greeted them with a small wave. Hesitantly, Maia waved back. <br/><br/>“Hey there, stranger,” she spoke, her voice young and energetic, to him and he nodded in response. “I guess I should explain why we’re tailing yah,” she said and he grunted in response, his baritone voice causing the other warriors to flinch slightly. <br/><br/>“Some context would be nice, yes.” Maia breathed out a small sigh in relief. <br/><br/>“Well, me and my gals here have been ordered by the Goddess to track you down and bring you to her. She wants to speak with you, big guy,” she voiced her reasons to him. He was silent, thinking it over nd weighing his options. <br/><br/>On one hand, he could decline and continue what he and his two compatriots have been ever since they had arrived in this backwater world. On the other hand, he could accompany Maia and her girls to Celestine Lucullus and see what the Goddess needs of him and his allies. <br/><br/>Deal with the greenskins or discuss things over with a so-called Goddess. <br/><br/>“What’s the catch?” he asked, knowing the answer despite his question. Maia simply replied a moment later. <br/><br/>“Well, on one hand we let you go and you’re free to deal with the Orcs however you see fit,” she explained, lifting one hand. The other followed a moment later, the redhead explaining that one as well. <br/><br/>“On the other hand, if we talked things over with Celestine, we can perhaps aid one another and be rid of these monsters quicker,” the Marine nodded, humming in his throat as he weighed in his options. <br/><br/>It wasn’t so much of a choice between two different extremes and more of a choice of pacing. Thinking it over, he knows that the more time he spends here, the more time Hell rebuilds their forces and can begin a new Unholy Crusade. <br/><br/>“Alright,” he spoke up, gaining their attention. “Might as well finish up sooner than later, eh?” Even with the strange helm obscuring his face, Maia could tell he had some sort of smile underneath the covers. She grinned at his answer and spoke. <br/><br/>“If we head back to Ansur, we can get you something better than walking.” To her surprise, he shook his head and tapped one thigh for emphasis on his next words. <br/><br/>“I can catch up with your horse.” She blinked at his words. <br/><br/>“You… can?” He nodded. <br/><br/>“I could use the exercise,” was the large man’s strange reply. Looking to her warriors of the Bladed Rose, they too had confusion plastered cross their faces. <br/><br/>She sighed and nodded slowly. It was a strange request and not exactly how she expected this conversation to go but hey, at least nobody got hurt. <br/><br/>The Marine spoke up once more. <br/><br/>“Lead the way then.” <br/><br/>And lead she did. <br/><br/></p><hr/><p><br/>[Near Wakefield | With Corzo, Hae-Lin, and Alicia’s Iris Knights] <br/><br/>Alicia ducked under another Orc’s swing. The massive metal club would’ve flattened her had her reflexes not been honed from years of training underneath Claudia Levantine. She struck the foul beast in its exposed underarm, her blade singing through the air and through thick flesh, making the Orc howl in pain. Pulling out, she struck another area, this time being the gut via a horizontal swipe. The gash that resulted of her swipe made the Orc’s innards fall out. Alicia finished it off by beheading it, the greenskin’s head flying through the air. <br/><br/>She stepped back as another took its place. She wasted no time and stabbed the ugly thing in its eye. She stepped to the side and bisected an Imp that dared to blindside her. <br/><br/>Turning to her swordswoman companion Alicia saw that she was not to be judged by her size. The Eastern woman looked less like fighting the Orcs and their misbegotten kind and more like she were dancing around them. Movements fluid and graceful, Jung Hae-Lin struck at certain areas that, Alicia knew from many lessons taught by Feoh’s finest instructors, housed various nerves that, if damaged, locked up certain functions of the body. <br/><br/>Cruel, as is the fate that awaits all greenskins and their demonic brethren, yet graceful, for their executioner played them to a fine symphony of battle. <br/><br/>Alicia thanked the Goddess for having someone such as her not against the Alliance. Light knows what would’ve been. <br/><br/>She skillfully ducked underneath another attack and retaliated. Her fellow swordswoman did the same with her group of enemies. <br/><br/>Alicia saw her grab her strange repeating pistol and fired off in a rapid manner, each bullet faster than what she could see and striking the foul beasts with deadly efficiency. <br/><br/>“Aim for the soft spots!” she barked out to her and her knights, doing what she had just said by stabbing an Orc through the eye and shooting another’s neck. Seeing the merit of such advice, Alicia and her knights struck at whatever soft spot these beasts have. <br/><br/>“Look out!” The warning came too late and Alicia was struck from behind by a rather sneaky Orc, club raised once more to finish her off. Alicia could only stare at the massive wooden tool as time seemed to slow own for her. Her blade had been thrown away from the force and the distance between her and it was too far to close in the amount of time the Orc would bring down its on ugly weapon. <br/><br/>A quick burst from Hae-Lin’s repeating pistol sent the beast falling to its side dead. Alicia saw that the Eastern swordswoman’s hands were making a series of motions. A black stick of sorts was removed from the grip of the pistol and was replaced by another. Pulling back what Alicia could only assume was the cocking piece of the pistol, Hae-Lin fired off more rounds. <br/><br/>So that was how to reload such weapons, quick yet complex. <br/><br/>The short swordswoman went over to her and offered her hand. The Shield Princess took it and was taken by surprise at the strength behind the shorter woman. Jung Hae-Lin gave a toothy grin to Alicia Arcturus. <br/><br/>“Come on! Let’s not let Corzo hog all the fun!” With those words, the short woman charged into the fray once more. <br/><br/>Alicia looked around to see her knights also fighting as hard as they can, taking down as many as they could before wisely blocking, parrying, or dodging any retaliation. Looking down, Alicia could see her discarded blade. Picking it up, she rejoins the battle once more. <br/><br/>She charged at another orc, running it through with her blade. She wasted no time and began to hack and slash her way through whatever these beasts threw at her. Two imps flew at her and she bisected them before they got too close for comfort. A few arrows whizzed past her and the imp archers cursed and tried to load in new arrows. A few shots from Hae-Lin’s strange pistol made them cease living. <br/><br/>She nodded her thanks to the shorter woman and diverted a club to smash into the ground before beheading the orc holding it. Alicia roared as she faced them head-on, her sword singing through the air and slicing open the orc’s gut. <br/><br/>Alicia could see more of the beasts headed their way and she met them with her sword. Behind her, her knights and the Eastern swordswoman followed and carried their weight. <br/><br/>All the while, sounds of thunder echoed throughout the forests, reminding them every now and then of the short woman’s tall companion. <br/><br/></p><hr/><p><br/>[En Route to Keine | Later on | Doom Slayer and Maia’s Bladed Rose] <br/><br/>Maia noted a few things from their new companion on the way back to Keine. <br/><br/>First off, he never leered at any of the women present. Not saying she was annoyed, but she felt her feminine pride deflate a little bit. Either the Behemoth swung the other way (which she doubted heavily) or the man had the patience of many saints (again, she doubted it but not as much as the first one). <br/><br/>Second, the animals around him ranged from afraid to downright terrified whenever they were near him. She chalked it up to them being uncertain and wary of him at first, but after seeing one nearly kick the Behemoth (who simply dodged away from the two powerful equestrian legs), she suspected that there was something way off about this man. <br/><br/>And finally, the Behemoth still chose to simply walk alongside Maia. This confused her and her band greatly, and she commented her concern for his stamina only to be shrugged off. That was six hours ago, and not once had the Mercenary Queen see the green knight fall or stop to rest. <br/><br/>The atmosphere was tense, she could tell. Deciding to lighten up the mood, she spoke up to the Behemoth. <br/><br/>“Soooooo…” She drew out the word as the large man slightly tilted his head looked at her whilst walking beside her and her horse, “You got a name? Not that I don’t mind calling yah Behemoth when we get to Lady Celestine but y’know how it is with formalities.” <br/><br/>The man simply replied with silence, which got uncomfortable with each passing second. Then, after perhaps the longest nine seconds of her life, he answered her question. <br/><br/>“Flynn.” One word was all he spoke before looking forward once more. <br/><br/>She nodded in response. Not much to go by but it’s a start, at least. By now, she could see the top of the walls surrounding Keine. By her estimates, she, her warrior band, and the Slayer would get there in an hour or so. <br/><br/>Suddenly, the large man pointed with his left hand, and finally spoke up. “Place seems busy.” <br/><br/>Maia blinked in surprise before nodding, an audible sound in her throat accompanying it. True to Flynn’s word, Keine was rather busy. Even from here, she and her companions can see some festivities going on within the massive kingdom’s walls. <br/><br/>“Yep, this is Keine. Capital of Eostia, central source of power for the Seven Shield Alliance, and home to Lady Celestine Lucullus herself. So,” she glanced at Flynn as she continued, “What do you think? A little overwhelming perhaps?” She teased good-naturedly, a small smirk on her face. <br/><br/>To her surprise, the Slayer simply shook his head and replied, “I’ve seen bigger places. They were grander, too.” She pouted playfully in response. Well, at least he was talking more, she supposed. <br/><br/>Just as she had estimated, they had arrived to the main gates of the city within an hour’s time. She saw multiple guards at the posts, each of them wearing lighter variations of the knights stationed in this grand city. <br/><br/>“Halt!” The head guard position called out, in which Maia and her band complied with. Flynn stopped too, but kept silent as his fingers were fiddling with his large cannon (how he has not tired carrying that thing one-handed baffled Maia). The man was ready for a fight if one should ever break out anytime now. <br/><br/>“State your business!” The head guard spoke in a loud voice so that everyone around him heard. Maia dismounted her horse and sashayed to the man. <br/><br/>“We’re here on official business, Mister Guntrude.” She said politely and gestured to her warrior band and the Slayer. “We’ve orders from Lady Celestine that we are to bring this man for reasons best left known only to her.” <br/><br/>Quickly understanding, the head guard nodded to his men to open the gates. It took a minute but the gate had opened up wide enough to let them pass through. As Maia and her warrior band walked through, he said to Maia. <br/><br/>“Just make sure he causes no trouble, milady.” Nodding, she flashed a toothy grin before mounting her horse. <br/><br/>She gestured Flynn to follow her, in which he complied with a silent nod. As he passed the guards, some of them gagged at a smell coming from the man himself. <br/><br/>That’s when Maia internally slapped herself. Now that she got a better look, she could see that the man’s armor was bloodied, decorating it in morbid patterns. That’s not going to sit well with Claudia, she told herself. Given the festivities going on in this kingdom, the Dawn Templar Shield Princess is obviously within the White Fortress, accompanying Lady Celestine. <br/><br/>As they had passed the streets of Keine, many were gawking and cheering as Maia passed them. Children even rushed to her for some pats on the head or some hair ruffling, in which she joyfully did so. Maia also noticed that some of the adults, most notably the traveling merchants and even some of the knights were looking at her companion rather than her. On horseback, she was taller by an inch or two when put beside the large green knight. But on her own, the large man outright dwarfed her and the members of her warrior band. <br/><br/>The children were in awe at the sight of him, seeing the massive cannon in his hand and the armor he wore. They pestered him with many question but he brushed them off. <br/><br/><em>“Prim would have a field day with this guy,”</em> Maia thought, already imagining how the Behemoth would interact with their youngest Shield Princess Knight. She laughed in her head at the sight of this large man sitting on a tiny chair having tea with the young princess. <br/><br/>She heard the whispers of the adults as they passed by the bustling streets of the kingdom, many of those whispers were of fear and some were of awe at the man. <em>“I guess his reputation’s well spread out.”</em> She mentally noted as she and her warrior band reached the steps to the palace with Flynn in tow. <br/><br/>The White Fortress serves as Celestine’s home for the past millennium, as well as serving as the main headquarters for the Seven Shield Alliance. Despite the years passing by, the palace remains as majestic as ever. It was the pinnacle of all things immaculate for many, with its tall and breathtaking architecture going up high into the sky. The entire castle was made out of marble, resulting in a beautiful white color that fills the people with hope. And thanks to the use of magic, the castle stands strong, requiring only repairs of the supernatural kind to fix if any flaw were to be shown. <br/><br/>But for the Slayer, it was nothing compared to the things he’d seen, felt, experienced, and remembered throughout his dimensional travels. From the mundane highly advanced facilities of the UAC, to the spiraling dark citadels of Hell, to ancient ruins of countless worlds, and many more sights to behold, the Slayer had pretty much seen it all. <br/><br/>Maia spoke up, grabbing his attention. “Okay, here’s the deal when we get into Lady Celestine’s throne room. Don’t do anything that might piss Claudia off in a second.” The Slayer simply nodded in response as he walked up to the doors of the palace along with Maia, the rest of her warrior band deciding to hit the taverns for another job well done. <br/><br/>As soon as the two of them reached the palace doors, they were greeted by a man of average height with mocha brown skin dressed in your standard butler’s outfit. <br/><br/>“Hey, Jamal, I’m here on official business with Lady Celestine.” The butler, Jamal, nodded in response but raised an eyebrow at the Slayer. <br/><br/>“Of course, Lady Maia… And this man?” he asked in a slightly nervous tone, shrinking in his place when the Slayer’s visor fell onto him. Maia saw the butler’s nervousness and quickly explained. <br/><br/>“That’s Flynn. He’s also on official business, don’t worry about it.” This calmed the butler down somewhat as he opened the doors, revealing a beautiful hallway decorated with a variety of gold, silver, bronze, and other rare metals and materials. <br/><br/>Again, the grandeur of the halls had nothing on the countless locations the Slayer had visited across the multiverse. Still, he had to give credit where it is due and show some form of respect. And he did so by simply gazing over the multiple decorations and treasures displayed along the walls. <br/><br/>He hummed as he gazed over each and every one, the halls going by faster with each one he passed. Maia smiled as she passed through the halls and kept up her pacing with that of the Slayer’s. <em>“At least the guy’s warming up.”</em> She mused in her head as she looked at the back of the Slayer’s chest plate. <br/><br/>There were many odd things that stuck out to her. From the odd indents that shaped multiple circles on his back, each linked together by thin metal pieces, to the insignia she found branded onto the upper portion of the Behemoth’s left pauldron. While the lettering was alien to her, she somehow understood them. The letters spelled out <em>UAC</em>. The symbol was a triangle with the points being replaced by slants and each side had odd shapes sticking out of them. Inside of the odd triangle was a circle surrounded by smaller triangles, these ones having rectangular holes in them. <br/><br/>She tried as she might to see if the logo ringed a bell so to speak in her mind. When her mind began to draw blanks, Maia’s eyes narrowed slightly. Whoever this Behemoth was, there is no doubt he works or had worked for a group completely unknown to anyone in the Seven Shield Alliance or their enemies. Maia pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance, already sensing the paranoia from the other Princess Knights. An unknown group was the last thing anyone needs right now, especially during a war such as the one they were fighting in now. <br/><br/>Luckily, the Slayer had not noticed her annoyance or had simply chosen to ignore it for more important matters at hand. Like finding where Celestine Lucullus is at. <br/><br/>After a few minutes of wandering the halls, the two of them finally reached the pair of doors that would lead into Celestine Lucullus’s throne room, with two guards standing on either side. The Slayer and Maia stood in front of the two beautifully carved doors, with the latter speaking to the former. <br/><br/>“You ready to meet Lady Celestine?” she was answered by a nod from the large man, in which she marched up towards the two guards by the doors. <br/><br/>“Good afternoon, sirs. I’m here on official business for Lady Celestine.” The two guards tensed when they heard this, not so much from Maia but from her companion’s staring. <br/><br/>“O-of course, Lady Maia.” One spoke, but both of them wilted under the Slayer’s emotionless staring. It was made a bit worse as no one really saw his eyes from behind the visor. Quiet as mice, the two guards placed their hands on the knobs and, with near synchronization, opened the doors to reveal the grand throne room. <br/><br/>Currently, only two people were in that very room. These two notable individuals were none other than Claudia Levantine, who stood by the throne’s side with the alertness only veteran warriors could achieve, and Celestine Lucullus, who sat on her throne like a monarch of beauty.</p><p>Celestine Lucullus was a fair and bountiful elven maiden in the eyes of many, both male and female, thanks to her perfect hourglass figure. She was tall at six feet and two inches thanks to her heels, having fair skin with no signs of flaw on them. Her flowing platinum blonde hair reached down to her feet, while her dark green eyes seemed to complete the image. <br/><br/>Her… dress, if one could even call it that (the Slayer’s eye twitched at the vulgar tone of it but steeled himself), barely covered her. The silk dress’ white color did nothing to help conceal her as the parts that actually do cover her body were rather limited or lacking, covering only her breasts’ nipples and the rather small area around each of them. There was a long piece of black silk, attached at the breast area via a golden ring, went down to cover her nether regions, the lower end of the cloth having a golden piece of jewelry with an emerald stone in the center of it. On each of her wrists were two golden bangles with one golden bangle on each of her upper arms. Her sandals had their wraps going up to just below her knees. There was also a wreath of mint-green leaves around her head, acting like a halo of sorts for this angelic beauty of Elven nature. <br/><br/>As they stepped into the room, there are two reactions. Claudia scowled for a brief second before recognizing Maia, and Celestine was… terrified? That expression alone didn’t feel right with the Slayer, as she was looking directly at him with that terror clear as day. He could see her trembling, although it was only noticeable to those who are really observant of everything. <br/><br/>[-|-] <br/><br/>“You should be resting, My Grace. It would do our people no good if you are to fall ill one of these days.” Claudia reprimanded her, but she simply nodded, not really bothering to actually make a verbal response. The past few nights had plagued her as of late. The visions that followed had her jumping at just about anything in fright, and it took the combined effort of Claudia, her Dawn Templars, and some of her guards to calm her down. <br/><br/>The things she’d seen, the places she’d seen, and the voices she heard were all alien to her. One vision showed her a metal room filed with dark-colored pipes and oddly dressed men and women walking about and speaking of strange terms that confused her. Another showed her a dark cave made entirely of what appears and feels to be flesh with corpse strewn about like macabre decor. <br/><br/>There as a constant in these seemingly unrelated visions. In some way or form, she would see <em>Him</em>, the Behemoth in Green Plate. In some visions, she would see him as a man on a mission, letting none obstruct his path. Others, she would see him in meditation, a dark yet soothing aura emanating from him. <br/><br/>The visions had taken a toll on her body and soul. <br/><br/>Her face was in disarray, with eye bags under her eyes and her hair being in disorder although that one wasn’t too difficult to remedy as one can just use their fingers or a good comb or brush (the other two needed makeup for obvious reasons, the kind that concealed any flaws without the concealer being too obvious). <br/><br/>Before her friend could reprimand her more, the doors leading out of the throne room were opened by the two guards currently stationed outside. <br/><br/>“Lady Celestine, I’m back and I’ve brought the Behemoth as requested, your Grace.” Maia’s words reached Celestine’s ears and of those around her as the doors opened to reveal Maia and… She felt her breath hitch. Suddenly the makeup wasn’t cutting it anymore. <br/><br/><em>“No, it can’t be…”</em> Celestine started to shake but she was able to compose herself just in the nick of time, although her body still had a few trembles here and there. She couldn’t believe it even if her own two eyes were looking directly at him. Entering alongside Maia was the very same individual who had appeared in her nightmares a few days ago. <br/><br/>He looked exactly like how she had seen him then. The gray helmet with the blue visor, the dark green chest plate and pauldrons, the silver gauntlets that reached his elbows with the vambraces but they lacked a couter, to the brown pants in armored pads and the dark brown boots. <br/><br/>Her eyes widened as the Slayer’s very presence seemed to suffocate her. His visor seemed to reflect everything in front of them, never revealing his eyes for all to see and yet she <em>knew</em> he was looking directly at her. It was scary, terrifying even. <br/><br/>She slightly shook herself out of her frightful state and noticed that the guards were still on edge. <br/><br/>“Thank you.” She cleared her throat before continuing, “You are both dismissed, guardsmen.” With salutes, the guards eased up and put away their weapons before leaving the throne room. Now there was only Maia, Celestine, Claudia, and the Slayer in the room. The Dawn Templar leader stepped forward slightly, her hand resting on the grip of her sword. Maia, meanwhile, had taken her place beside Celestine. <br/><br/>The atmosphere was quite tense despite the sunny day outside. On one hand there was Celestine, Claudia and Maia, the Goddess sitting in her throne with some fear creeping into her, the Dawn Templar remaining vigilant and keeping a watchful eye on the Behemoth, and the Mercenary Queen somewhat sweating from the tense atmosphere, and on the other was the Slayer, simply standing there watching the three of them. <br/><br/>Before anything negative could happen, Celestine broke the silence by clearing her throat.  <br/><br/>“I… I’ve… I’ve heard about your exploits, good Sir.” She said with a stutter at the beginning. The Slayer’s attention was immediately on her, causing her to flinch inwardly. “You’ve been slaying Orcs and even bandits for nearly a year throughout our fair land. The common folk have sung praises of you.” <br/><br/>She was responded with silence for a few seconds before the Slayer nodded his head lightly. <br/><br/>“Is that so? I’m guessing you want something from me, then.” His voice was a mix of gruff and raspy, as if the man hadn’t spoken in a millennia’s worth of time. His words seemed to irk Claudia, who had now revealed her blade and held it towards him with one hand. <br/><br/>“Show some respect, you insolent oaf! You are given the honor of standing before Celestine Lucullus herself, and I will not tolera-“<br/><br/>“Claudia!” Despite her soft tone, her firmness and authority made the Dawn Templar shut her mouth and sheath her blade, although she scowled at the Slayer as if it was his fault in the first place. <br/><br/>The Goddess Reincarnated sent an apologetic smile at the Slayer’s way. “I apologize for my friend’s ire, good Sir. She is just protective of me.” The Slayer simply nodded in response.  He knew what it was like. Having to escort someone fragile every now and then had given the Slayer a sort of protectiveness towards them in a professional manner. Emotions were nonexistent when he does escort someone be it in the middle of a war zone or escaping someone’s (or some<em>thing</em>’s) clutches. <br/><br/>He began to gaze around the area, taking in the décor. Claudia spoke, her tone much like a disciplinarian. <br/><br/>“Do you now see the grace and beauty of this palace, cur?” To the females’ collective surprise, the Slayer shook his head, surprising (and probably angering) Claudia. <br/><br/>“It’s nothing compared to what I’ve seen.” His voice had put Celestine and Claudia on edge. They expected him to be gruff, yes, but they never expected it to be raspy as well. Regardless, Celestine smiled politely at the Slayer. “What brings you here to our fair lands, good Sir?” <br/><br/>“An old… <em>friend</em>,” he said, the three hearing the venom in the man’s voice, “sent me and some companions to this land to collect some… <em>artifacts</em>.” <br/><br/>“Artifacts, you say?” Celestine asked, a tilt in her head, and the Slayer nodded. <br/><br/>“Powerful things that could help me and my companions in riding the world of certain entities,” he elaborated. <br/><br/>Maia then spoke up, seemingly catching on to what he had implied. “So you and some people are here to get rid of the supernatural? What are you, some kind of exorcist?” The Slayer shook his head at the first question but shrugged at the second. <br/><br/>“In a way, yes,” he replied curtly as he could.<br/><br/>“O-oh…” suddenly the quiet, awkward atmosphere returned, the only sound being the occasional winds moving the majestic blinds/curtains/drapes throughout the throne room. It didn’t last long, however, as the silence was broken by the Slayer speaking up. <br/><br/>“You still haven’t told me why I’m here,” the Behemoth said, eyes locking on to Celestine’s on behind his visor. “It has something to do with Garan’s little infestation, doesn’t it?” <br/><br/>Celestine nodded and began to explain why she had requested his presence in her throne room. <br/><br/>“Y-yes, you are correct in that,” she confirmed. Breathing in, she eases herself before speaking once more. “This mission is something that could end this war without so much more blood to be needlessly shed.” She swore she saw the Behemoth’s shoulders sagged just slightly before they were back in their positions. “By dawn on the morrow, you shall be joining the Black Dogs into the Black Fortress. My task, if you shall lend your blade to this cause, is to head into the Black Fortress of the Garran Badlands and capture Origa Discordia of the Jagged Crown to me unharmed.” <br/><br/>[-|-] <br/><br/>The Slayer stayed silent as he heard the last part of Celestine’s request. This… was something he was no expert in. Send him to kill bandit tribes? You bet your ass he’ll do it before breakfast is served. Kill greenskins and their allies? Consider it done and done. Raid a cave filled with monsters? It’s already been cleared thrice. But to capture the very leader of the enemy and bring her to the capital of Keine unharmed? The Slayer exhaled quietly before he spoke to the queen of this kingdom. <br/><br/>He’s heard of her, and the legends surrounding both her and Celestine. How the legends spoke of their battles shaking the heavens above and the underworld below. He scoffed at such exaggerations, for he knows Hell and Heaven have more horrifying things to fear than some best friends’ quarrel. <br/><br/>“Why me? Someone else could do this job better than me.” <br/><br/>“I-I’m sorry?” Celestine tilted her head in confusion. <br/><br/>“Why ask me, a stranger killing off Orcs and bandits? Anyone with a weapon can do that?” Celestine’s head lowered, her hair shadowing her face from view. <br/><br/>“Truth be told, a vision came to me a few days ago.” The Slayer simply nodded, listening to her words. <br/><br/>“I saw a nightmarish landscape and an unending sea of monsters.” Maia’s eyebrows shot up to her hair while Claudia’s eyes narrow, having heard this before. <br/><br/>“Then I saw you,” everyone’s attention was on Celestine at this point, “killing them all with no remorse or hesitation with the most bizarre of weapons.” Claudia and Maia were outright shocked at what Celestine had revealed to them. <br/><br/>Celestine looked up to stare the Slayer right into the eyes. “I saw you take on impossible odds where many would have fallen. My people have suffered over this long war, Sir Slayer, so I ask- no! I <em>beg and plead</em> to you, Sir Slayer, that you put an end to this dreadful war. And I shall forever be in you debt.” <br/><br/>The Slayer kept silent, clearly thinking the words of the High Elf over. The he spoke, his voice void of any emotion. <br/><br/>“Consider it done, Ma’am.” Celestine smiled as she heard the Slayer’s words, while Claudia still scowled but was relieved that her queen and friend had brightened up in her mood so much so that her tired state had somehow vanished. Maia grinned at the Slayer’s answer. <br/><br/>“If that’s all, I’ll be prepping for the mission if you don’t mind.” He said. <br/><br/>“It is getting a bit late,” Celestine said as it was nearing dusk judging by the dull orange skies outside, “I shall have a servant ready a room for you. We will discuss more when Master Vult and his warrior band arrive on the morrow.” The Slayer nodded and turned on his heel to leave. <br/><br/>[-|-] <br/><br/>As soon as the doors slammed shut, Celestine released a breath she was holding as she leaned into her throne. She clutched her face with a dainty hand. There were many ways she could have ended the war, but she always was a person that considered the most peaceful options available and never had she made any violent options be done first even if nothing else could be done. As she removed her hand, she saw both Claudia and Maia looking at her expectantly. <br/><br/>“Let’s go for a stroll, my friends.” With that said she rose from her throne and began to walk down the steps. Not ones to disappoint their highness, the Dawn Templar and the Mercenary Queen followed close behind, all three of them former a triangle of sorts with Celestine at the front and with either of them at the sides. <br/><br/>Their stroll around the castle led them to the eternally beautiful gardens, but the three were silent all the way. The only sounds that did accompany them were those of their footwear on the stony floors or carpeted walks. <br/><br/>Just as they had reached the gardens, Maia had spoken out. “You really do have your ways of surprising people, your Grace.” With a cheeky grin, she added, “Not every day you get a vision about some big guy taking on a huge demon army.” <br/><br/>“Indeed,” Claudia decided to put in her two cents into the conversation, “still, I must object his presence, Milady. That man, he felt… wrong.” This caught Maia’s interest. <br/><br/>“You’ve noticed it too, Claudia?” She received a hum and a nod in response. By now, the three fair maidens were in the center of the gardens which has a fountain that has a statue of a beautiful Elven maiden holding out her arms in a comforting manner. <br/><br/>“I had, and I worry for anyone that has been near him. That includes you, Maia.” She received a snort in response. <br/><br/>“Aw shucks, I didn’t know you were concerned about li’l ole’ me, Claudia. And here I thought all you care about were rules and regulations about ‘being a true knight fit for the Goddess’s service’.” She received a stern look from the Dawn Templar, which just fueled up her playfulness by a degree. <br/><br/>“Still,” she said, “I noticed it too. The guy’s pretty silent, well-built, and pretty much perfect for a mercenary or a soldier role…” She got silent for a few seconds before continuing, “but the guy’s presence was really disturbing, I’ll tell you that much.” <br/><br/>“I agree with you, Maia, that man is a danger. Milady,” she called out to Celestine, who was busy running a hand across the smooth surface of the fountain, “I pray that you are doing the right thing for our people.” <br/><br/>Celestine smiled softly but held a hint of sadness in them. <br/><br/>“You’ve been with him throughout the journey here, Maia. What can you tell us about our new friend?” At that question, Maia’s playful smirk had disappeared completely. <br/><br/>“Well, for starters… the guy’s quiet, unbearably so.” Celestine and Claudia both nodded, having just experienced that a few minutes ago. “When he speaks, he prefers to get to the point. No jokes, no playful remarks, nothing. All business and no play.” She shuddered briefly. <br/><br/>“Then there was his gaze. It was dead and alive all at once, it was so confusing.” She continued talking. <br/><br/>“I’ve seen many men who are fearless, and many more that are afraid of what lurks behind shadows. But that guy? No macho act, no fear coming from him at all. I couldn’t get a read on anything but one thing.” That piqued the other two’s interest. <br/><br/>“And what would that be?” Maia turned to Claudia, who was standing beside Celestine as usual. She replied to her in a humorless tone. <br/><br/>“Rage. I felt the crazy amounts of rage coming from that guy. He reins that in, but some just gets out that every animal in my warrior band was afraid of him.” <br/><br/>Celestine and Claudia looked at one another in surprise before having the same thought. <br/><br/><em>“Just what has been unleashed?” <br/><br/></em></p><hr/><p><br/>[The Slayer’s new quarters | Nighttime] <br/><br/>The Slayer had settled into his bed in his new room. It was Spartan in decorations, just a single bed with a desk and two chairs. The only sources of light were from the lamp that was recently lighted and the multiple glowing areas on his armored vest. <br/><br/>He had already placed the Soul Cube on the desk, the Martian weapon glowing briefly before lying dormant once more. But instead of sleeping right off the bat, he began to inspect some of his weapons. Taking out the DS-117 Combat Shotgun first, he began to do a maintenance check on the weapon. His Argent Accumulators might repair any damages on his weapons, but it never harmed to do the maintenance himself every now and then.<br/><br/>After reassembling the weapon and putting it beside one of the wooden legs of the bed, he moved over to his M461 Auto-Cannon. The weapon was blocky in shape and tan in color with a few dark brown pieces to accentuate its looks. <br/><br/>The weapon had also served him well. It was his favorite weapon during his days in the UN Slayer Corps to the fuck ups that were the Phobos and Deimos moon bases and to many more conflicts beyond, with its 0.80-caliber High Explosive Armor Piercing rounds gibbing any target he had set his sights on to, armored or not. Its scope had helped him in engaging any target from far away while its Micro Missile pods helped him out greatly in close quarters. He never really understood how a belt-fed gun such as this be turned into a closed-bolt firearm but he simply ignored it. If a weapon can help him kill things quick, then who was he to complain? <br/><br/>The room was quiet save for the sounds of various weapons being cleaned inspected and dry-fired (an act where the shooter takes an empty gun, inspects it for any errors before pulling the trigger to see if it can cycle properly) by the Slayer. <br/><br/>An hour or so had passed before the Slayer had kept away his weapons into the pocket dimension. Despite that, he never felt tired. The energy flowing through his veins made sure of that. Instead of moping about it, however, he simply did what he always does prior to any mission during his time in the UN Marine Corps and in the UAC’s employ: Training. <br/><br/>He started out simple with five hundred push-ups, followed by the same amount of sit-ups and jumping jacks. He repeated the process until midnight had come, the planet’s full moon shining brightly in the starry sky. By that time, he was practicing his hand-to-hand fighting abilities with a few hard punches and kicks aimed at thin air. <br/><br/>By the time he was done, it was an hour past midnight. The Slayer felt like this would be enough for now and began to lie down in his bed. <br/><br/>Taking off his armored vest, gauntlets, paddings and helmet, the Slayer began to sleep soundly. <br/><br/>As he began to rest, the Soul Cube, which was dormant during the course of his training, had awoken in a sense. Then it spoke, its voice sounding like hundreds of whispering phantoms. <br/><br/><strong><em>”</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>…</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>g</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>n</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>i</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>h</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>c</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>a</em></strong><strong><em≯</em></strong><strong><em>o</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>r</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>p</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>p</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>a</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em≯</em></strong><strong><em>…</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>m</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>e</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>h</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>t</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>e</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>s</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>n</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>e</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>s</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em≯</em></strong><strong><em>e</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>w</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>…</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>s</em></strong><strong><em≯</em></strong><strong><em>r</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>e</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>h</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>t</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>o</em></strong><strong><em≯</em></strong><strong><em≯</em></strong><strong><em>e</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>h</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>T</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>“</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong> The strange Martian artifact said before going dormant once again. </p><hr/><p><br/>[Celestine’s dreamscape] <br/><br/><em>Her dark emerald eyes opened once more to see the nightmarish landscape again. Her breath hitched in her throat, remembering the last time she was her. But the area felt… different somehow to her eyes. <br/><br/>Compared to the gray brimstone land she had first witnessed the Slayer taking on the demon army, this area was oddly brown in color much like the deserts to the Southern West portion of Eostia. This area was a canyon of sorts compared to the mountainous area of her first nightmare/vision. <br/><br/>Eyes gazing at everywhere around her, she eventually found something that drew her in. It was a stone structure of sorts, oval-like in shape and with multiple insect-like legs sticking out and grasping inwards, like a hand holding an object. Celestine was again fearful of what this object was, but can’t help but be drawn to the green-glowing symbol etched into it. <br/><br/>It looked like it was forming the letter </em>D<em> with a few etches around it. Whatever the symbol was, its presence alone somehow soothed her. <br/><br/>Then, like a curious little child at a store filled with their favorite things, Celestine reached out with one hand and touched the symbol. <br/><br/>It was there that the symbol had glowed blindingly, causing her to jump away from the stone structure in surprise. But the damage was already done. Reaching her ears was a voice, thick and gravely. Like a demon’s voice if she heard a horrid thing as that speak before. <br/><br/><strong>”</strong></em><strong><em≯̝̒</em></strong><strong><em>…</em></strong><strong><em>̵͖͋</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̴̄</em></strong><strong><em>͇L</em></strong><strong><em>̶̏</em></strong><strong><em>͇T</em></strong><strong><em>̷̲͠</em></strong><strong><em>T</em></strong><strong><em≯̻͌</em></strong><strong><em>A</em></strong><strong><em≯̯̓</em></strong><strong><em>B</em></strong><strong><em>̵̫͗</em></strong><strong><em>̶̗</em></strong><strong><em>T</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>̀</em></strong><strong><em>̤</em></strong><strong><em>S</em></strong><strong><em>̵̻̏</em></strong><strong><em>R</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>̂</em></strong><strong><em>̩</em></strong><strong><em>I</em></strong><strong><em>̴͂</em></strong><strong><em>͇F</em></strong><strong><em≯</em></strong><strong><em>̈</em></strong><strong><em>̥</em></strong><strong><em>̴̢̅</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>̳H</em></strong><strong><em>̶̯̾</em></strong><strong><em>T</em></strong><strong><em>̶͖͊</em></strong><strong><em≯</em></strong><strong><em>̃</em></strong><strong><em>͚</em></strong><strong><em>N</em></strong><strong><em>̴͎͘</em></strong><strong><em>I</em></strong><strong><em>̶͚̚</em></strong><strong><em>̶͋ͅ</em></strong><strong><em>,</em></strong><strong><em>̶̫̿</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em≯͒</em></strong><strong><em>̳G</em></strong><strong><em>̵̭͑</em></strong><strong><em>A</em></strong><strong><em≯͚̊</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>̌</em></strong><strong><em>̞</em></strong><strong><em>T</em></strong><strong><em≯̲͐</em></strong><strong><em>S</em></strong><strong><em>̷̗͝</em></strong><strong><em>R</em></strong><strong><em>̷̱͆</em></strong><strong><em>I</em></strong><strong><em≯̙͒</em></strong><strong><em>F</em></strong><strong><em>̵̼̕</em></strong><strong><em>̵̪̊</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̷̪͊</em></strong><strong><em>H</em></strong><strong><em>̶̠͒</em></strong><strong><em>T</em></strong><strong><em≯̬͐</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>̃</em></strong><strong><em>͉</em></strong><strong><em>N</em></strong><strong><em>̷̹</em></strong><strong><em>I</em></strong><strong><em>̵̺̚</em></strong><strong><em>“</em></strong><strong><em>̶̯̈́</em></strong><strong><em>̷̡͑</em></strong><em>Celestine clamped her eyes shut and tried to block out the voice by covering her ears once more. But the voice was no longer speaking into her ears. It was already inside her mind like the horrid thing it was. <br/><br/><strong>”</strong></em><strong><em>̶̗̐</em></strong><strong><em>…</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>̌</em></strong><strong><em>̲</em></strong><strong><em>D</em></strong><strong><em>̵̝͋</em></strong><strong><em>O</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>̈</em></strong><strong><em>̤</em></strong><strong><em>O</em></strong><strong><em>̵̭̔</em></strong><strong><em>T</em></strong><strong><em>̴̥͘</em></strong><strong><em>S</em></strong><strong><em>̷̎</em></strong><strong><em>̳ </em></strong><strong><em>̴͚̊</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>̌</em></strong><strong><em>̖</em></strong><strong><em>N</em></strong><strong><em≯</em></strong><strong><em>̂</em></strong><strong><em>̫</em></strong><strong><em>O</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>̂</em></strong><strong><em>͎</em></strong><strong><em>̴͋</em></strong><strong><em>̣,</em></strong><strong><em≯̠̾</em></strong><strong><em>D</em></strong><strong><em>̴̝͊</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̷̹͌</em></strong><strong><em>N</em></strong><strong><em>̴̰͆</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̵̤̊</em></strong><strong><em>H</em></strong><strong><em>̴͉̊</em></strong><strong><em>T</em></strong><strong><em>̴̻͋</em></strong><strong><em>G</em></strong><strong><em>̷͕̚</em></strong><strong><em>N</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>̳̈E</em></strong><strong><em≯̚</em></strong><strong><em>̳L</em></strong><strong><em>̶̍͜</em></strong><strong><em>̶̼̔</em></strong><strong><em>T</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>͇̉S</em></strong><strong><em>̷͓̄</em></strong><strong><em>R</em></strong><strong><em≯̞̑</em></strong><strong><em>I</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>̈</em></strong><strong><em>̨</em></strong><strong><em>F</em></strong><strong><em≯̟͌</em></strong><strong><em>̷̨͗</em></strong><strong><em>S</em></strong><strong><em>̵̗̽</em></strong><strong><em>W</em></strong><strong><em>̶̻̒</em></strong><strong><em>O</em></strong><strong><em>̵̩̎</em></strong><strong><em>D</em></strong><strong><em>̴͎̎</em></strong><strong><em>A</em></strong><strong><em>̶͎͗</em></strong><strong><em>H</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>́</em></strong><strong><em>̥</em></strong><strong><em>S</em></strong><strong><em>̶̛̟</em></strong><strong><em≯̞͆</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>̉</em></strong><strong><em>͖</em></strong><strong><em>H</em></strong><strong><em≯̲͝</em></strong><strong><em>T</em></strong><strong><em≯̞</em></strong><strong><em≯̅</em></strong><strong><em>̣N</em></strong><strong><em>̷̲̓</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̵̈́͜</em></strong><strong><em>H</em></strong><strong><em>̵̛͕</em></strong><strong><em>W</em></strong><strong><em>̴̛͓</em></strong><strong><em>“</em></strong><strong><em>̶̨̕</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>̆</em></strong><strong><em>͍</em></strong><em>The sound of thunder caused Celestine to open her eyes and see a familiar figure. It was the Behemoth, this time he held a familiar weapon in one hand which was a diamond blue greatsword as he fought valiantly against another group of demons, this one consisting of the lean monsters in brown and blue and the pink bull-like monsters. <br/><br/><strong>”</strong></em><strong><em≯̏͜</em></strong><strong><em>…</em></strong><strong><em>̷̛̰</em></strong><strong><em>T</em></strong><strong><em>̶͙</em></strong><strong><em>N</em></strong><strong><em>̴͔̈́</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̴̯̏</em></strong><strong><em>M</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>̆</em></strong><strong><em>̝</em></strong><strong><em>R</em></strong><strong><em>̵͊</em></strong><strong><em>̣O</em></strong><strong><em>̶̐</em></strong><strong><em>͇T</em></strong><strong><em>̴͔</em></strong><strong><em>̶̔ͅ</em></strong><strong><em>L</em></strong><strong><em>̵̡͠</em></strong><strong><em>A</em></strong><strong><em>̶̹͑</em></strong><strong><em>U</em></strong><strong><em>̵̫̓</em></strong><strong><em>T</em></strong><strong><em>̴͈̓</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em≯</em></strong><strong><em>̀</em></strong><strong><em>̬</em></strong><strong><em>P</em></strong><strong><em>̶͐</em></strong><strong><em>̳R</em></strong><strong><em>̶̈́</em></strong><strong><em>̳E</em></strong><strong><em>̶̽͜</em></strong><strong><em>P</em></strong><strong><em>̴̯̽</em></strong><strong><em>̷̮͗</em></strong><strong><em>F</em></strong><strong><em>̵͑ͅ</em></strong><strong><em>O</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>̌</em></strong><strong><em>͙</em></strong><strong><em≯͓̄</em></strong><strong><em>H</em></strong><strong><em>̶̊</em></strong><strong><em>̳T</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>̀</em></strong><strong><em>̪</em></strong><strong><em>A</em></strong><strong><em>̷̻̽</em></strong><strong><em>P</em></strong><strong><em≯̰͠</em></strong><strong><em>̷͊ͅ</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em≯̫̿</em></strong><strong><em>H</em></strong><strong><em>̵̡̒</em></strong><strong><em>T</em></strong><strong><em>̷̰̄</em></strong><strong><em>̷̝̇</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̵͎̕</em></strong><strong><em>S</em></strong><strong><em>̷̥͛</em></strong><strong><em>O</em></strong><strong><em>̶̊</em></strong><strong><em>̦H</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>̈</em></strong><strong><em>͜</em></strong><strong><em>C</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>́</em></strong><strong><em>̯</em></strong><strong><em≯̝̍</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̴̪̇</em></strong><strong><em>H</em></strong><strong><em≯̪̍</em></strong><strong><em>̴̟̒</em></strong><strong><em>,</em></strong><strong><em≯̓</em></strong><strong><em>͇N</em></strong><strong><em>̷̯̅</em></strong><strong><em>O</em></strong><strong><em>̴̜͂</em></strong><strong><em>I</em></strong><strong><em≯</em></strong><strong><em>̉</em></strong><strong><em>̧</em></strong><strong><em>S</em></strong><strong><em>̶̛</em></strong><strong><em>̣N</em></strong><strong><em>̵̯͌</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>̀</em></strong><strong><em>̮</em></strong><strong><em>C</em></strong><strong><em≯</em></strong><strong><em>̉</em></strong><strong><em>͜</em></strong><strong><em>S</em></strong><strong><em>̷͔͆</em></strong><strong><em>A</em></strong><strong><em>̶̟͠</em></strong><strong><em>̶̗̚</em></strong><strong><em>D</em></strong><strong><em>̴͚̄</em></strong><strong><em>N</em></strong><strong><em>̶̰͒</em></strong><strong><em>O</em></strong><strong><em>̶̪̐</em></strong><strong><em>Y</em></strong><strong><em≯</em></strong><strong><em>̳̈E</em></strong><strong><em>̷͝</em></strong><strong><em>̳B</em></strong><strong><em>̷̈́</em></strong><strong><em>̦ </em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>̈</em></strong><strong><em>̲</em></strong><strong><em>D</em></strong><strong><em>̶̞̎</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̷̼̑</em></strong><strong><em>T</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>̃</em></strong><strong><em>̤</em></strong><strong><em>N</em></strong><strong><em>̶͘</em></strong><strong><em>͇I</em></strong><strong><em>̶̺̊</em></strong><strong><em>A</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>̳̋T</em></strong><strong><em≯̯͆</em></strong><strong><em≯</em></strong><strong><em>̋</em></strong><strong><em>͉</em></strong><strong><em>D</em></strong><strong><em>̵͈</em></strong><strong><em>N</em></strong><strong><em>̴̰̔</em></strong><strong><em>A</em></strong><strong><em>̶͔̈́</em></strong><strong><em≯̡̐</em></strong><strong><em>L</em></strong><strong><em>̶̥͗</em></strong><strong><em>L</em></strong><strong><em>̶̲͒</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̷͜͝</em></strong><strong><em>H</em></strong><strong><em>̴̝̏</em></strong><strong><em>̶̙̾</em></strong><strong><em>F</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>̂</em></strong><strong><em>͓</em></strong><strong><em>O</em></strong><strong><em>̷̝̽</em></strong><strong><em>̷͎̓</em></strong><strong><em>S</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>̉</em></strong><strong><em>̱</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em≯͠</em></strong><strong><em>̦R</em></strong><strong><em>̵̭̕</em></strong><strong><em>I</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>̀</em></strong><strong><em>̖</em></strong><strong><em>F</em></strong><strong><em>̶̥͒</em></strong><strong><em≯͈̾</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̷̓͜</em></strong><strong><em>H</em></strong><strong><em>̴̝͆</em></strong><strong><em>T</em></strong><strong><em≯̛̹</em></strong><strong><em>̵̙̍</em></strong><strong><em>Y</em></strong><strong><em>̷̬͌</em></strong><strong><em>B</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>̋</em></strong><strong><em>̤</em></strong><strong><em>̶̛͕</em></strong><strong><em>D</em></strong><strong><em≯͈̚</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>̌</em></strong><strong><em>̫</em></strong><strong><em>R</em></strong><strong><em>̷͎̔</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̶̛̪</em></strong><strong><em>T</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>̂</em></strong><strong><em>̱</em></strong><strong><em>S</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>̂</em></strong><strong><em>͍</em></strong><strong><em>I</em></strong><strong><em>̷̢̎</em></strong><strong><em>L</em></strong><strong><em>̵͕͑</em></strong><strong><em>B</em></strong><strong><em>̷̮͆</em></strong><strong><em>̷̘</em></strong><strong><em>L</em></strong><strong><em>̶͕̚</em></strong><strong><em>U</em></strong><strong><em>̷̠͘</em></strong><strong><em>O</em></strong><strong><em>̷̖̈́</em></strong><strong><em>S</em></strong><strong><em>̴͕̽</em></strong><strong><em>̵͖͠</em></strong><strong><em>S</em></strong><strong><em>̷̺͑</em></strong><strong><em>I</em></strong><strong><em>̵̼͌</em></strong><strong><em>H</em></strong><strong><em>̵̨̿</em></strong><strong><em≯</em></strong><strong><em>̆</em></strong><strong><em>̮</em></strong><strong><em>,</em></strong><strong><em>̴̭̽</em></strong><strong><em>N</em></strong><strong><em>̷̤̍</em></strong><strong><em>O</em></strong><strong><em>̷͋͜</em></strong><strong><em>D</em></strong><strong><em>̵̮͋</em></strong><strong><em>D</em></strong><strong><em>̵̫͑</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̶̢͒</em></strong><strong><em>G</em></strong><strong><em≯</em></strong><strong><em>̈</em></strong><strong><em>̤</em></strong><strong><em>A</em></strong><strong><em>̴͐͜</em></strong><strong><em>M</em></strong><strong><em≯̯̐</em></strong><strong><em>R</em></strong><strong><em>̵̨͠</em></strong><strong><em>A</em></strong><strong><em>̷̅͜</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>̈</em></strong><strong><em>̘</em></strong><strong><em>F</em></strong><strong><em≯͜͠</em></strong><strong><em>O</em></strong><strong><em>̵̝͠</em></strong><strong><em>̴̮͂</em></strong><strong><em>S</em></strong><strong><em>̶̡̛</em></strong><strong><em>R</em></strong><strong><em>̷͈͋</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̶̫͐</em></strong><strong><em>B</em></strong><strong><em>̷̼̏</em></strong><strong><em>M</em></strong><strong><em>̷͆</em></strong><strong><em>̦E</em></strong><strong><em>̶̯͂</em></strong><strong><em>̴͒͜</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>̋</em></strong><strong><em>̟</em></strong><strong><em>H</em></strong><strong><em>̷̻͘</em></strong><strong><em>T</em></strong><strong><em>̷̡̾</em></strong><strong><em>̷͚͐</em></strong><strong><em>Y</em></strong><strong><em>̴̫͋</em></strong><strong><em>B</em></strong><strong><em>̷̬͝</em></strong><strong><em>̶̥̊</em></strong><strong><em>D</em></strong><strong><em>̴̱͘</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em≯̽</em></strong><strong><em>͇N</em></strong><strong><em≯̩͊</em></strong><strong><em>R</em></strong><strong><em≯</em></strong><strong><em>̀</em></strong><strong><em>͙</em></strong><strong><em>U</em></strong><strong><em>̶͖͠</em></strong><strong><em>B</em></strong><strong><em≯̛͕</em></strong><strong><em>“</em></strong><strong><em≯͈͠</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>́</em></strong><strong><em>͕</em></strong><em>She saw the Behemoth quickly cut down the demon group’s smaller members before his greatsword disappeared in a flash of blue (which surprised her greatly) and was replaced by an odd contraption that launched fast streaks of light that tore through the bull-like monsters. <br/><br/>A flash of light had taken Celestine by surprise and by the time her vision cleared she was watching another fight taking place. This fight was in an odd city of sorts, with various stone buildings towering over her and possibly any noble house in Eostia barring the royal palaces. <br/><br/><strong>”</strong></em><strong><em>̷̨̕</em></strong><strong><em>…</em></strong><strong><em>̵̘̄</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̶͌</em></strong><strong><em>͇C</em></strong><strong><em>̶͝ͅ</em></strong><strong><em>A</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>̦́E</em></strong><strong><em>̷̙̒</em></strong><strong><em>P</em></strong><strong><em>̶̬̈́</em></strong><strong><em>̷̙̒</em></strong><strong><em>O</em></strong><strong><em>̶̛̙</em></strong><strong><em>N</em></strong><strong><em>̷̞̿</em></strong><strong><em>̷͐͜</em></strong><strong><em>D</em></strong><strong><em≯̢̍</em></strong><strong><em>N</em></strong><strong><em≯</em></strong><strong><em>̋</em></strong><strong><em>͔</em></strong><strong><em>U</em></strong><strong><em>̵̝͝</em></strong><strong><em>O</em></strong><strong><em>̷̞̏</em></strong><strong><em>F</em></strong><strong><em>̵̛̺</em></strong><strong><em>̴̮͂</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̶̻̿</em></strong><strong><em>H</em></strong><strong><em≯̧̈́</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>̳̃,</em></strong><strong><em>̵̤͒</em></strong><strong><em>D</em></strong><strong><em>̶̤̽</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em≯͝ͅ</em></strong><strong><em>R</em></strong><strong><em>̶̾͜</em></strong><strong><em>T</em></strong><strong><em≯͎̐</em></strong><strong><em>A</em></strong><strong><em>̶̥̔</em></strong><strong><em>H</em></strong><strong><em>̷̗̅</em></strong><strong><em>̷̖̓</em></strong><strong><em>S</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>̃</em></strong><strong><em>̞</em></strong><strong><em>U</em></strong><strong><em>̵̰͛</em></strong><strong><em>O</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>̋</em></strong><strong><em>̠</em></strong><strong><em>N</em></strong><strong><em>̷̨͛</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>̣̋V</em></strong><strong><em>̵̩̑</em></strong><strong><em>A</em></strong><strong><em>̴̯̎</em></strong><strong><em>R</em></strong><strong><em>̵̼͂</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>̀</em></strong><strong><em>̲</em></strong><strong><em>S</em></strong><strong><em>̷͖͗</em></strong><strong><em>I</em></strong><strong><em>̷̪͛</em></strong><strong><em>H</em></strong><strong><em≯</em></strong><strong><em>̀</em></strong><strong><em>̠</em></strong><strong><em>̴̘̊</em></strong><strong><em>N</em></strong><strong><em>̶̢̒</em></strong><strong><em>I</em></strong><strong><em≯̡̿</em></strong><strong><em>“</em></strong><strong><em≯̞͊</em></strong><strong><em>̶͔͠</em></strong><em>The Behemoth moved swiftly, his contraption switched out for a smaller contraption that barked loudly and fired even faster streaks that outright destroyed the upper torsos of his enemies. Celestine watched the monsters fall and gasped in awe and terror of the weapons that the large green knight had in his possession. <br/><br/><strong>”</strong></em><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>̋</em></strong><strong><em>̡</em></strong><strong><em>…</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>̈</em></strong><strong><em>͖</em></strong><strong><em>M</em></strong><strong><em>̴̔</em></strong><strong><em>̦I</em></strong><strong><em≯̩͆</em></strong><strong><em>H</em></strong><strong><em>̶̘̄</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>̆</em></strong><strong><em>̡</em></strong><strong><em>D</em></strong><strong><em>̶̫͛</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̷̬͊</em></strong><strong><em>G</em></strong><strong><em≯̙͘</em></strong><strong><em>N</em></strong><strong><em≯͑</em></strong><strong><em>̳O</em></strong><strong><em>̶̙͑</em></strong><strong><em>R</em></strong><strong><em>̷̩̔</em></strong><strong><em>W</em></strong><strong><em>̵̡͊</em></strong><strong><em>̶͍͗</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>̋</em></strong><strong><em>̩</em></strong><strong><em>V</em></strong><strong><em>̶͍̕</em></strong><strong><em>A</em></strong><strong><em>̴̺̈́</em></strong><strong><em>H</em></strong><strong><em>̶̈́ͅ</em></strong><strong><em>̴̮̕</em></strong><strong><em>O</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>́</em></strong><strong><em>͚</em></strong><strong><em>H</em></strong><strong><em>̶̢̚</em></strong><strong><em>W</em></strong><strong><em>̵͖̇</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>́</em></strong><strong><em>̫</em></strong><strong><em>S</em></strong><strong><em>̵̮͛</em></strong><strong><em>D</em></strong><strong><em>̶̡̓</em></strong><strong><em>R</em></strong><strong><em>̷̡̿</em></strong><strong><em>O</em></strong><strong><em≯̮̕</em></strong><strong><em>L</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>̆</em></strong><strong><em>͜</em></strong><strong><em>̵̈́͜</em></strong><strong><em>K</em></strong><strong><em>̵͎̿</em></strong><strong><em>R</em></strong><strong><em>̶̊</em></strong><strong><em>̳A</em></strong><strong><em>̶̰̾</em></strong><strong><em>D</em></strong><strong><em>̷̬̈́</em></strong><strong><em>̶͕̍</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em≯͖͒</em></strong><strong><em>H</em></strong><strong><em>̵̥̔</em></strong><strong><em>T</em></strong><strong><em>̵̹͑</em></strong><strong><em>̷̯͌</em></strong><strong><em>T</em></strong><strong><em>̵̛̺</em></strong><strong><em>S</em></strong><strong><em>̴̼̇</em></strong><strong><em>N</em></strong><strong><em>̵̬̓</em></strong><strong><em>I</em></strong><strong><em>̷̱̎</em></strong><strong><em>A</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>͇̋G</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>̂</em></strong><strong><em>̙</em></strong><strong><em>A</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>̈</em></strong><strong><em>̪</em></strong><strong><em>̴̞̏</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>̋</em></strong><strong><em>͈</em></strong><strong><em>C</em></strong><strong><em>̶̝̏</em></strong><strong><em>N</em></strong><strong><em>̴͓̏</em></strong><strong><em>A</em></strong><strong><em>̷͉̅</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̶͉̎</em></strong><strong><em>G</em></strong><strong><em≯̹͋</em></strong><strong><em>N</em></strong><strong><em>̵̥̑</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̶̼̐</em></strong><strong><em>V</em></strong><strong><em>̵͈̅</em></strong><strong><em>̷̲͆</em></strong><strong><em>G</em></strong><strong><em>̵̈́</em></strong><strong><em>͇N</em></strong><strong><em>̶̝͂</em></strong><strong><em>I</em></strong><strong><em>̴̫͂</em></strong><strong><em>K</em></strong><strong><em>̷̕</em></strong><strong><em>̣E</em></strong><strong><em>̵̺͑</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̷̻͋</em></strong><strong><em>S</em></strong><strong><em>̴̤̏</em></strong><strong><em≯</em></strong><strong><em>̆</em></strong><strong><em>̟</em></strong><strong><em>S</em></strong><strong><em>̶̻̈́</em></strong><strong><em>N</em></strong><strong><em>̵͗</em></strong><strong><em>̦I</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>̀</em></strong><strong><em>̤</em></strong><strong><em>A</em></strong><strong><em≯̨͐</em></strong><strong><em>L</em></strong><strong><em>̷̨͐</em></strong><strong><em>P</em></strong><strong><em>̶͓</em></strong><strong><em>̷̥̐</em></strong><strong><em>L</em></strong><strong><em>̶̈́</em></strong><strong><em>̳A</em></strong><strong><em>̷̎</em></strong><strong><em>͇R</em></strong><strong><em>̷̘̾</em></strong><strong><em>B</em></strong><strong><em>̴̪͐</em></strong><strong><em>M</em></strong><strong><em>̴͕͝</em></strong><strong><em>U</em></strong><strong><em>̶̻͗</em></strong><strong><em>̶̭͆</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em≯͘͜</em></strong><strong><em>H</em></strong><strong><em>̶̓͜</em></strong><strong><em>T</em></strong><strong><em≯</em></strong><strong><em>̉</em></strong><strong><em>͓</em></strong><strong><em≯̤̑</em></strong><strong><em>D</em></strong><strong><em>̶̥͌</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̶͚͌</em></strong><strong><em>R</em></strong><strong><em>̵̫͠</em></strong><strong><em>U</em></strong><strong><em>̷̫̎</em></strong><strong><em>O</em></strong><strong><em>̷͎̓</em></strong><strong><em>C</em></strong><strong><em≯̢̿</em></strong><strong><em>S</em></strong><strong><em>̴̻̽</em></strong><strong><em>̷͎͑</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̵͎̍</em></strong><strong><em>H</em></strong><strong><em>̶̗͘</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>̈</em></strong><strong><em>̡</em></strong><strong><em>D</em></strong><strong><em≯̲͑</em></strong><strong><em>O</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>̋</em></strong><strong><em>̙</em></strong><strong><em>O</em></strong><strong><em>̴̗͝</em></strong><strong><em>L</em></strong><strong><em≯͉̐</em></strong><strong><em>B</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>̌</em></strong><strong><em>͉</em></strong><strong><em≯̤̿</em></strong><strong><em>G</em></strong><strong><em>̷͔͒</em></strong><strong><em>N</em></strong><strong><em≯̲</em></strong><strong><em>I</em></strong><strong><em>̴̰͌</em></strong><strong><em>L</em></strong><strong><em≯̝͑</em></strong><strong><em>I</em></strong><strong><em>̴̛̬</em></strong><strong><em>O</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>̋</em></strong><strong><em>̬</em></strong><strong><em>B</em></strong><strong><em≯̭̕</em></strong><strong><em>̴̹̓</em></strong><strong><em>H</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>̀</em></strong><strong><em>̼</em></strong><strong><em>T</em></strong><strong><em>̵̩̊</em></strong><strong><em>I</em></strong><strong><em>̴̘̊</em></strong><strong><em>W</em></strong><strong><em>̷̕</em></strong><strong><em>̳ </em></strong><strong><em>̶͉̎</em></strong><strong><em>D</em></strong><strong><em>̴͍̍</em></strong><strong><em>N</em></strong><strong><em>̴̲͝</em></strong><strong><em>A</em></strong><strong><em>̷͓͛</em></strong><strong><em>“</em></strong><strong><em>̶̫͊</em></strong><strong><em>̴̞͝</em></strong><em> The scene changed again and Celestine saw the back of the Slayer as he was on his knees, surrounded by dead bodies of humans and demons alike whilst clutching a small person’s body close to his chest. Walking around to get a closer look, she saw the two bodies he was clutching to his chest closely were that of a young girl and in her arms was a dead rabbit, its brown fur stained with its own blood and of those around it. <br/><br/>She felt tears running down her cheek when she saw the dead girl’s lifeless eyes gaze directly at the Behemoth, as if blaming him for her death. The Behemoth started to shake, whether in sadness or anger she was uncertain. <br/><br/>Then the Slayer reared his head back and roared to the heavens above, wordless and primal as he did. The raw rage emanating from his roar alone made the Goddess Reborn take a few steps back, the sounds causing her body to tremor with each step she took backwards. <br/><br/>She couldn’t take it anymore and began to weep uncontrollably. Over the ten centuries/one millennium of fighting, she had seen many horrible things that had happened over the course of this feud between her own Alliance and the Demon Armies of the North led by Origa. She had seen families separated from their loved ones, the raped bodies of women, children and even men, and had seen the aftermath of brutal executions. <br/><br/>But she and her Alliance had endured them all, each failure simply motivating them to find an end to this war as soon as possible. <br/><br/>But everyone had their limits, and it looks like Celestine had reached hers at this point. <br/><br/><strong>”</strong></em><strong><em>̴̘̕</em></strong><strong><em>…</em></strong><strong><em>̵̝͠</em></strong><strong><em>S</em></strong><strong><em>̷͖͗</em></strong><strong><em>L</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>́</em></strong><strong><em>̤</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̴̫̓</em></strong><strong><em>N</em></strong><strong><em>̵̙̾</em></strong><strong><em>I</em></strong><strong><em>̵̡̔</em></strong><strong><em>T</em></strong><strong><em>̷̝̽</em></strong><strong><em>N</em></strong><strong><em>̷͉͋</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̷̱̐</em></strong><strong><em>S</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>̦̆ </em></strong><strong><em>̵̥̽</em></strong><strong><em>T</em></strong><strong><em>̴̭̇</em></strong><strong><em>H</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>̂</em></strong><strong><em>̖</em></strong><strong><em>G</em></strong><strong><em>̵̢͒</em></strong><strong><em>I</em></strong><strong><em>̵̡͝</em></strong><strong><em>N</em></strong><strong><em>̶̺̔</em></strong><strong><em>̴̙̚</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̴̏</em></strong><strong><em>͇H</em></strong><strong><em>̵͓̈́</em></strong><strong><em>T</em></strong><strong><em>̷͚̄</em></strong><strong><em≯̧͑</em></strong><strong><em>F</em></strong><strong><em>̷̭̾</em></strong><strong><em>O</em></strong><strong><em>̷͉͊</em></strong><strong><em≯̾ͅ</em></strong><strong><em>N</em></strong><strong><em>̷̼̿</em></strong><strong><em>W</em></strong><strong><em≯̤͝</em></strong><strong><em>O</em></strong><strong><em≯</em></strong><strong><em>̂</em></strong><strong><em>̺</em></strong><strong><em>R</em></strong><strong><em>̶̡͆</em></strong><strong><em>C</em></strong><strong><em≯</em></strong><strong><em>̦̆ </em></strong><strong><em>̶̈́</em></strong><strong><em>̦E</em></strong><strong><em>̵̰̾</em></strong><strong><em>H</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>̆</em></strong><strong><em>̘</em></strong><strong><em>T</em></strong><strong><em>̵͖͛</em></strong><strong><em≯</em></strong><strong><em>́</em></strong><strong><em>̤</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̷͈</em></strong><strong><em>R</em></strong><strong><em>̴̺̿</em></strong><strong><em>O</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>̀</em></strong><strong><em>̩</em></strong><strong><em>W</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>͇̀ </em></strong><strong><em>̴̰͑</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̷͓̏</em></strong><strong><em>H</em></strong><strong><em>̴͙̚</em></strong><strong><em>“</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>̋</em></strong><strong><em>̲</em></strong><strong><em>̷͕͑</em></strong><em> The scene had changed once again to show the Slayer standing in the center of a group of individuals, each of them wearing an odd assortment of clothing and wielded familiar and odd weapons alike. It was here that Celestine saw that same symbol on the upper left portion of his helmet, right where the forehead would be. <br/><br/>She saw the Slayer yell a wordless roar once more as he and the odd group charged against a more massive horde of demons. They were far too many and they were far too mixed in for her to properly distinguish each individual species. <br/><br/></em><strong><em>̶̪͗</em></strong><strong><em>”</em></strong><strong><em>̴̽</em></strong><strong><em>̳…</em></strong><strong><em>̶͋</em></strong><strong><em>̳M</em></strong><strong><em>̴̻͆</em></strong><strong><em>I</em></strong><strong><em>̷̛̻</em></strong><strong><em>H</em></strong><strong><em>̷̱̊</em></strong><strong><em>̶͙̑</em></strong><strong><em>D</em></strong><strong><em>̶̹͝</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̷̫̽</em></strong><strong><em>M</em></strong><strong><em>̴͑</em></strong><strong><em>̳A</em></strong><strong><em>̴̧̒</em></strong><strong><em>N</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>̂</em></strong><strong><em>̫</em></strong><strong><em≯̛̙</em></strong><strong><em>D</em></strong><strong><em>̵̬̄</em></strong><strong><em>R</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>̃</em></strong><strong><em>̜</em></strong><strong><em>O</em></strong><strong><em>̶̲</em></strong><strong><em>W</em></strong><strong><em>̴̖͋</em></strong><strong><em>S</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>́</em></strong><strong><em>̤</em></strong><strong><em>̶̹̈́</em></strong><strong><em>S</em></strong><strong><em>̵̛̘</em></strong><strong><em>I</em></strong><strong><em>̷̼̍</em></strong><strong><em>H</em></strong><strong><em>̶̰̏</em></strong><strong><em>̴̘͒</em></strong><strong><em>F</em></strong><strong><em>̵̤͋</em></strong><strong><em>O</em></strong><strong><em>̷̙̽</em></strong><strong><em>̵͙͆</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̷̘͝</em></strong><strong><em>T</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>̈</em></strong><strong><em>ͅ</em></strong><strong><em>I</em></strong><strong><em≯͐</em></strong><strong><em>͇B</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>́</em></strong><strong><em>̻</em></strong><strong><em>̴͕̓</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̵͌</em></strong><strong><em>̳H</em></strong><strong><em≯̢̍</em></strong><strong><em>T</em></strong><strong><em>̴̓</em></strong><strong><em>͇ </em></strong><strong><em>̷͑</em></strong><strong><em>͇D</em></strong><strong><em>̴̹̕</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̵̠̏</em></strong><strong><em>T</em></strong><strong><em>̷̝̒</em></strong><strong><em>S</em></strong><strong><em>̵̭̈́</em></strong><strong><em>A</em></strong><strong><em≯̨͂</em></strong><strong><em>T</em></strong><strong><em>̷̼̚</em></strong><strong><em>̵̡̑</em></strong><strong><em>O</em></strong><strong><em>̴̱̿</em></strong><strong><em>H</em></strong><strong><em>̷̭̄</em></strong><strong><em>W</em></strong><strong><em>̶͓̏</em></strong><strong><em≯</em></strong><strong><em>̈</em></strong><strong><em>̗</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em≯͎̇</em></strong><strong><em>S</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>̦̌O</em></strong><strong><em>̶̘̏</em></strong><strong><em>H</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>̆</em></strong><strong><em>̢</em></strong><strong><em>T</em></strong><strong><em≯</em></strong><strong><em>̌</em></strong><strong><em>̢</em></strong><strong><em>̷͚͝</em></strong><strong><em>D</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>̀</em></strong><strong><em>̖</em></strong><strong><em>N</em></strong><strong><em>̵͓͂</em></strong><strong><em>A</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>̆</em></strong><strong><em>͙</em></strong><strong><em>“</em></strong><strong><em≯̍</em></strong><strong><em>̣</em></strong><em>She witnessed the Slayer decapitate a large pink Minotaur before jumping up and switching away his weapon for a demonic cannon that started firing a thin red ray of light that sliced through the demon ranks as his followers (how she assumes them as such) took out any stragglers that the ray of light had missed. <br/><br/>Soon she found herself staring up to the Slayer as he stands atop a pile of rotting demon bodies firing one of his contraptions from before, which was the tan blocky weapon, at the demons that tried to climb the pile and attack him. <br/><br/><strong>”</strong></em><strong><em>̵͊ͅ</em></strong><strong><em>…</em></strong><strong><em>̶̞̕</em></strong><strong><em>R</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>̂</em></strong><strong><em>̨</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̵͚̚</em></strong><strong><em>Y</em></strong><strong><em>̵͔͌</em></strong><strong><em>A</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>̃</em></strong><strong><em>̢</em></strong><strong><em>L</em></strong><strong><em>̴̩̾</em></strong><strong><em>S</em></strong><strong><em≯̐</em></strong><strong><em>̣ </em></strong><strong><em>̶̘̅</em></strong><strong><em>M</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>̃</em></strong><strong><em>̰</em></strong><strong><em>O</em></strong><strong><em>̶͎͛</em></strong><strong><em>O</em></strong><strong><em>̵̖</em></strong><strong><em>D</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>̉</em></strong><strong><em>̼</em></strong><strong><em≯̹̊</em></strong><strong><em>E</em></strong><strong><em>̵̰̓</em></strong><strong><em>H</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>̀</em></strong><strong><em>̱</em></strong><strong><em>T</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>̳“</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>̉</em></strong><strong><em>̮</em></strong><strong><em>̷̞̚</em></strong><em>The demon’s voice had stopped narrating as Celestine saw the Slayer and his followers standing triumphant as many dead bodies of the massive demon army surrounded them. <br/><br/></em></p><hr/><p><br/>[-The Next Day-] <br/><br/>The Slayer woke up at around five in the morning according to his helmet's HUD as it displayed the time on its visor as the helmet stayed on the desk. Seeing that it was still dark, he began to start the day training in unarmed combat. <br/><br/>Soon, the room was filled with the sounds of air being displaced and of fists and feet impacting against thin air. This continued over two hours until the Slayer stopped, his muscles tense from the recent warm-up. He tensed up and readied himself into a fighting stance once more as the only door of his room opened to reveal a young maid (possibly around the later adolescent/teenage years by his estimates) holding the door's knob in one hand and a tray of food on the other. <br/><br/>"Y-your food, s-sir…" She meekly stated as her cheeks darkened with red. She had been given the task of delivering the food to the Slayer earlier under the orders of the Goddess herself, so she complied with no hesitation. What she didn't expect however was that the Slayer had a body fit for a god and was already up and awake for some time, to which she blushed when her eyes saw his form being accentuated by his attire. <br/><br/>His face was obscured by shadows however, which disappointed her but she wisely not let it show lest she conjure the large man's rage. <br/><br/>The Slayer simply nodded his thanks, took the food and their respective plates from the tray and dismissed the young maid before closing the door gently. As he ate, the Slayer's sharp hearing picked up on the sounds of hooves and feet travelling together. Quickly finishing up, he donned his armor and helmet and took out his DS-117 Combat Shotgun from subspace as he exited the room. Heading down the flight of steps, the Slayer can see a massive band of warriors either on foot or on horseback heading towards the palace directly. The men of this band wore green leather vests, brown pants and boots as their main attire in addition to many pieces of armor on their body. He also saw the symbol of a black dog emblazoned on the chest, and he immediately recognized them. <br/><br/>These were the Black Dogs, and it appears that they were late. <br/><br/></p><hr/><p><br/>[The Black Fortress | Lowest Level of the Dungeons] <br/><br/>He could feel them. The Slayer and his dogs were on this continent as well. Balth’Azar sneered in disgust yet he smiled in delight. The very human responsible for weakening his race was here, one that had proven his strength time and time again. He could not wait until he would dominate and destroy the Slayer completely and lead Hell into a new age where they are the rightful rulers once more. No longer shall they be equals with the Makyrs, they shall prove themselves superior to all. And he shall lead them, creating an empire so vast that nothing shall ever escape his notice. <br/><br/>And all he had to do was collect the <strong><em>m</em></strong><strong><em>̷̮̏</em></strong><strong><em>u</em></strong><strong><em>̵̧̍</em></strong><strong><em>i</em></strong><strong><em>̶͓͐</em></strong><strong><em>c</em></strong><strong><em>̵͉̇</em></strong><strong><em>i</em></strong><strong><em≯̭͝</em></strong><strong><em>f</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>̆</em></strong><strong><em>̺</em></strong><strong><em>i</em></strong><strong><em>̴̯͒</em></strong><strong><em>t</em></strong><strong><em>̶͚̚</em></strong><strong><em>r</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>̉</em></strong><strong><em>̘</em></strong><strong><em>A</em></strong><strong><em>̷͛͜</em></strong> before the Slayer and his lapdogs. He just needs to do it discretely. Loathe as he was to admit it, but not all battles were fought head-on. Some require a more delicate touch. <br/><br/>“Balth’Azar!” a female’s voice grabbed his attention. Without even looking, he knew who had come to him: Zan, the detestable half-breed smith of this inferior world. <br/><br/><strong><em>”</em></strong><strong><em>̴̝̾</em></strong><strong><em>?</em></strong><strong><em≯̖͋</em></strong><strong><em>d</em></strong><strong><em>̵̹͒</em></strong><strong><em>l</em></strong><strong><em≯̧̈́</em></strong><strong><em>i</em></strong><strong><em>̴͈̑</em></strong><strong><em>h</em></strong><strong><em≯͙̐</em></strong><strong><em>c</em></strong><strong><em>̶͝</em></strong><strong><em>̣ </em></strong><strong><em≯͗͜</em></strong><strong><em>,</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>̆</em></strong><strong><em>̬</em></strong><strong><em>t</em></strong><strong><em>̷̼͑</em></strong><strong><em>i</em></strong><strong><em>̴̯̈́</em></strong><strong><em>̵͙͋</em></strong><strong><em>s</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>̂</em></strong><strong><em>̮</em></strong><strong><em>i</em></strong><strong><em≯̙̾</em></strong><strong><em>̶͑</em></strong><strong><em>̣t</em></strong><strong><em>̶̛̪</em></strong><strong><em>a</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>̂</em></strong><strong><em>̥</em></strong><strong><em>h</em></strong><strong><em>̷̜͝</em></strong><strong><em>W</em></strong><strong><em>̷̢̛</em></strong><strong><em>“</em></strong><strong><em>̵̖̔</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>̃</em></strong><strong><em>̖</em></strong>he spoke, voice rumbling like earthquakes in his throat. She was afraid of him, he could sense it, yet she buried that fear underneath a façade to speak with him directly. <br/><br/>Admirable but ultimately worthless in the end. Zan spoke up, voice concealing any traces of fear from any lesser being. <br/><br/>“Lady Origa wishes to know of the progress of your efforts.” So the little queen wants to know what he is doing. It was bound to occur, he supposed. A master of direct combat, he as, but when it came to subterfuge, there was bound to be a mistake to be made. <br/><br/><strong><em>”</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>́</em></strong><strong><em>͖</em></strong><strong><em>,</em></strong><strong><em>̶̙̊</em></strong><strong><em>d</em></strong><strong><em>̶̟͂</em></strong><strong><em>l</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>̈</em></strong><strong><em>͜</em></strong><strong><em>i</em></strong><strong><em>̵̝͛</em></strong><strong><em>h</em></strong><strong><em>̷̡</em></strong><strong><em>c</em></strong><strong><em>̷̡͝</em></strong><strong><em>̴̯̓</em></strong><strong><em>,</em></strong><strong><em>̶̝͐</em></strong><strong><em>t</em></strong><strong><em>̵͍̾</em></strong><strong><em>o</em></strong><strong><em≯͓͠</em></strong><strong><em>n</em></strong><strong><em>̷͙̓</em></strong><strong><em≯͚͒</em></strong><strong><em>y</em></strong><strong><em≯̅ͅ</em></strong><strong><em>r</em></strong><strong><em>̵̑͜</em></strong><strong><em>r</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>̃</em></strong><strong><em>̱</em></strong><strong><em>o</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>͇̆W</em></strong><strong><em≯</em></strong><strong><em>̌</em></strong><strong><em>͕</em></strong><strong><em>“</em></strong><strong><em>̵̙͌</em></strong> she tensed. Good, that caution would serve her well. <br/><br/><strong><em>”</em></strong><strong><em>̵̼</em></strong><strong><em>.</em></strong><strong><em>̵̅</em></strong><strong><em>̳k</em></strong><strong><em≯͕̎</em></strong><strong><em>a</em></strong><strong><em>̵</em></strong><strong><em>̃</em></strong><strong><em>͕</em></strong><strong><em>e</em></strong><strong><em>̷̢</em></strong><strong><em>p</em></strong><strong><em>̴͍͘</em></strong><strong><em>s</em></strong><strong><em>̴͆</em></strong><strong><em>̣ </em></strong><strong><em>̴̭̕</em></strong><strong><em>e</em></strong><strong><em>̶̼̓</em></strong><strong><em>w</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>̌</em></strong><strong><em>̡</em></strong><strong><em>̵̧͘</em></strong><strong><em>s</em></strong><strong><em>̷̼̑</em></strong><strong><em>a</em></strong><strong><em>̵͋͜</em></strong><strong><em>̵̖̄</em></strong><strong><em>n</em></strong><strong><em≯̫͘</em></strong><strong><em>o</em></strong><strong><em>̴͖̿</em></strong><strong><em>i</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>̂</em></strong><strong><em>͓</em></strong><strong><em>t</em></strong><strong><em>̴͔̅</em></strong><strong><em>e</em></strong><strong><em>̴</em></strong><strong><em>̆</em></strong><strong><em>͓</em></strong><strong><em>l</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>̌</em></strong><strong><em>̘</em></strong><strong><em>p</em></strong><strong><em>̶̪̑</em></strong><strong><em>m</em></strong><strong><em>̷̥͑</em></strong><strong><em>o</em></strong><strong><em>̴̼</em></strong><strong><em>c</em></strong><strong><em>̷̥͘</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>̀</em></strong><strong><em>̧</em></strong><strong><em>g</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>̳n</em></strong><strong><em>̶</em></strong><strong><em>̉</em></strong><strong><em>͙</em></strong><strong><em>i</em></strong><strong><em>̶̥͋</em></strong><strong><em>r</em></strong><strong><em>̷̬͆</em></strong><strong><em>a</em></strong><strong><em≯</em></strong><strong><em>́</em></strong><strong><em>̟</em></strong><strong><em>e</em></strong><strong><em≯̈́</em></strong><strong><em>̦n</em></strong><strong><em>̷</em></strong><strong><em>̀</em></strong><strong><em>̲</em></strong><strong><em≯̽</em></strong><strong><em>̣s</em></strong><strong><em≯̖͠</em></strong><strong><em>i</em></strong><strong><em>̵͍͋</em></strong><strong><em≯̻͌</em></strong><strong><em>t</em></strong><strong><em≯̮͝</em></strong><strong><em>I</em></strong><strong><em>̵̖͗</em></strong><strong><em>“</em></strong><strong><em>̴̻̈́</em></strong> As he said this, the Baron observed various monsters under his thrall arranging many corpses in a particular pattern. <br/><br/><strong><em>”</em></strong><strong><em≯</em></strong><strong><em>̌</em></strong><strong><em>̰</em></strong><strong><em>…</em></strong><strong><em>̶̰͑</em></strong><strong><em>n</em></strong><strong><em>̴̙̏</em></strong><strong><em>o</em></strong><strong><em>̶̝̊</em></strong><strong><em>o</em></strong><strong><em>̶̻̓</em></strong><strong><em>S</em></strong><strong><em>̶̤̎</em></strong><strong><em>“</em></strong><strong><em≯͕͗</em></strong> he told himself loudly. As the last piece of this macabre altar was placed, the centre shined a bright blood red color that blinded the entire floor. Zan and the rest shielded their eyes and Balth’Azar had a daemonic smile plastered across his face. <br/><br/><strong><em>”</em></strong><strong><em≯</em></strong><strong><em>̌</em></strong><strong><em>̰</em></strong><strong><em>…</em></strong><strong><em>̶̰͑</em></strong><strong><em>n</em></strong><strong><em>̴̙̏</em></strong><strong><em>o</em></strong><strong><em>̶̝̊</em></strong><strong><em>o</em></strong><strong><em>̶̻̓</em></strong><strong><em>S</em></strong><strong><em>̶̤̎</em></strong><strong><em>“</em></strong><strong><em≯͕͗</em></strong> The Baron could not help the smile that got wider. If he execute it right, this world shall be under his command. <br/><br/>It shall be the first amongst billions of worlds to be subjugated under his command. <br/><br/></p><hr/><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: Alright, so I’ve finished this chapter and not a moment too soon! DOOM Eternal releases of March 20th, two days before my birthday! And with that release, many theories have been proven right and wrong, none more right than the Doom Slayer being Doom Guy himself but everyone already knew that. </p><p>Also the Unmakyr… </p><p>*BREATHES IN* </p><p>FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! </p><p>Anyway, after realizing that it was nearing release, I HAD to finish this chapter up. Not much has changed, yet, with the exception of few new scenes and changes to dialogue. Up next, we’ll get into Doomguy meeting with Vult and his Black Dogs. Yeah, looking back, I realized that using Japanese naming in a primarily European inspired land was rather jarring to begin with. </p><p>I’m going to have to wait for DOOM Eternal to release and watch various guides and lore videos so that I don’t get even the most minor of details wrong (although since this is a fanfiction, creative liberties are acceptable if done right). My poor laptop can’t handle that game. </p><p>*Cries in potato PC* </p><p>So yeah, see you all next time! </p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. 03: It Begins</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A/N: Soooo… how's everyone with the lockdown and shit? Spending my time just playing Doom 1 &amp; 2 along with their expansions (Ultimate DOOM, BFG Editions for 1 &amp; 2, TNT Evilution, and Plutonia Experiment) with some mods (mostly Brutal Doom or Project Brutality, with a few gameplay mods here and there to spice it up) because I'm too poor to play DOOM Eternal (*crie evrytim*) and because my laptop is a potato.</p>
<p>Speaking of DOOM Eternal, it's great to see just about everyone is singing praises of it. ID Software really upheld their end and gave out a product that shall be known for years to come. Of course, there are some naysayers (*cough*Upper Echelon Gamers*cough*Dean Takahashi*cough*Game Journos*cough*) but they are just petty little shits that never paid attention to what to do in the game.</p>
<p>And I also just found out about WADSmoosh. Jesus, this could've helped me AGES ago.</p>
<p>Revision Started: 03-26-2020 A.D.<br/>Revision Uploaded: 07-05-2020 A.D.<br/>Date Last Modified: 07-06-2020 A.D.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>DOOM: Puer Infernalis V2</strong>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>[Chapter 03: <em>It Begins</em>]</p>
<p>[Unknown Location | Midday]</p>
<p>When she had opened her eyes, Olga did not expect to see the clear blue sky above, nor did she expect to find herself lying on her back atop surprisingly even terrain of sand. Rising from her position, Olga began to assess her situation and take in her surroundings.</p>
<p>She was not alone, for all around her were large bodied beings clad head to toe in armored plating moving about, colored in varying shades of either green or brown, carrying strange weapons that seemed to be offshoots of muskets and pistols as far as she could tell. Multiple square buildings surrounded her and these beings as well. Judging by their appearance, they each seem to be some variation of the average fort yet Olga could not recall which nation in Selenus had this style of architecture. Everything around her felt off.</p>
<p>"A vision?" she asked herself aloud. She had not received visions in a long time ever since she had some the daemon Balth'Azar. For her to receive one in such a long period of time was both exciting and terrifying. Everything around her felt so foreign. Nothing but the sand was familiar to her. Looking around, she saw that there was a relatively large gathering just to the east of her current location. Curious, she made her way closer to the gathering. Knowing that this is a vision, none of this area's occupants paid her mind as she passed through them, sometimes literally doing so, to get a closer look at what was happening.</p>
<p>What she saw sickened her.</p>
<p>On their knees pleading were dark brown skinned people in clothing appropriate for the desert; fathers and mothers and sons and daughters, all of them at the mercy of these mysterious armored beings. Standing in front of these fearful people was a man in tanned clothing, sporting light brown skin. He spoke and though the language he spoke was foreign to her, she somehow understood his words.</p>
<p><em>"Men, do not be fooled by these camel fuckers. Each and every one of them is an insurgent from al-Ramal, waiting for us to lower our guard!"</em> The armored beings snapped to attention at the man's words. This man would appear to be their leader. Olga snarled distastefully when she saw the mad gleam in the man's eye.</p>
<p><em>"They've been harassing our boys for months now! Using every damn trick in the book from ambushes to bombs in our cars and even using kids as their little carriers,"</em> the man snarled, and the people began to cower even further from him, mothers holding their children close and the fathers began to shield their family.</p>
<p>This was an execution, Olga realized. What purpose did the vision serve in showing her this grisly scene?</p>
<p><em>"Lieutenant,"</em> a hard voice grabbed her attention. Turning her head to face the speaker, she was greeted by the sight of the largest armored being present, judging by the tone this one was a clear male. From head to toe, every single inch of the being's body was covered in some form of armor or another. What stood out for her, apart from the being's size, was how mishmash the pieces of armor were from one portion of their body to another. Where most of the armored beings in this strange desert place wore armor that matched a certain aesthetic, this particular armored being had pieces of armor that fit no particular aesthetic.</p>
<p>His head as fully encased in a boxy armet with a wide glassy visor colored a murky gray, concealing his face from her, and his throat area being protected by a stout and thick gorget. His left arm and shoulder were encased in archaic pauldron, rerebrace, couter, vambrace, and gauntlet, all in a dull silver color. The right arm and shoulder counterparts were dark gray, sleek yet thick armored pieces that seemed to be more advance than anything any of the kingdoms and indigenous groups of Selenus can produce. His torso was covered in a dark green three-piece suit of armor resembling a hybrid of cuirasses used by the Kaisar Legions of the Far Northern continent and breastplates of Eostian knights, as far as she could tell, with strange grooves running across it, forming odd patterns. The two cuisses were similar to the armor pieces on his right arm and shoulder but the poleyn and greaves below that were archaic in design. The sabatons were stout and large, lacking poulaines as to not limit his feet's movement.</p>
<p>The apparent commander, this 'Lieutenant', turned fully to face the large being. While the distasteful man was taller than her by few inches, it was clear that the armored being towered over all present.</p>
<p><em>"What is it now, Corporal?"</em> the armored being, 'Corporal', did not seem to be fazed by the Lieutenant's snappish words, as far as Olga could tell from how the being had no physical reaction to the man. The large man spoke once more, voice equally hard as before.</p>
<p><em>"These civvies were brought by Sanders and her squad. They were seeking refuge from al-Ramal, sir."</em> The Lieutenant snarled in response.</p>
<p><em>"That's what these bastards want you to think, Corporal. If you ask me, the rest of them are probably waiting nearby for some signal,"</em> the Lieutenant responded, facing away from him and back towards the civilians.</p>
<p><em>"Men, I'm NOT taking any chances! And as your superior officer, I order all of you present to blast these goat fuckers into oblivion!"</em> The soldiers looked to one another. Compared to the large Corporal, these men had their armets feature clear visors, allowing for Olga to look at their faces. Some were impassive at the horrendous order and most were showing unease. The impassive ones calmly readied their strange weapons and pointed them at the cowering desert dwellers.</p>
<p>Absolutely despicable, much like the zealous dogs under Celestine's kingdoms, all over a mere suspicion.</p>
<p><em>"Corporal,"</em> the Lieutenant spoke once more, grabbing the attention of the Corporal and Olga. The large armored man released a low rumbling sound, much like a growl of a great beast.</p>
<p><em>"Since you had the gall to question my authority, I'm giving you the order to fire upon these mooks!"</em> Olga narrowed her eyes at the order this man gave to the armored being. Surely he wouldn't follow such an absurd claim, right?</p>
<p><em>"I see…"</em> the Lieutenant walked up to the Corporal. He began to speak in numbers, baffling Olga.</p>
<p><em>"Trooper Eight-Eight-Eight dash Two-Three dash Nine-Nine-One-Two, Fifteenth El-De-Ay-Ar of Fox Company, I order you to open fire on these insurgents!"</em> He spoke smoothly and with a damning smile, pointing at the brown-skinned desert dwellers under the mercy of these people. To Olga's arising anger, the Corporal reached into his hip and pulled out what is quite possibly one of the largest and boxiest pistols she had ever laid eyes upon.</p>
<p>A long and thick barrel sported a crown of spikes at its end, a gray metal box jutting downwards from the center of the body and with a strangely angled grip judging by how the Corporal held it in his hand, and three raised pieces of metal on top of the weapon presumably being the sights for it.</p>
<p>The large armored man aimed at the center of the crowd, making them scream in horror on what was to befall upon them. Olga bared her teeth at the large man, calling him out with many slurs and curses that she could think of.</p>
<p><em>"Troops present arms!"</em> at the Lieutenant's orders, the other soldiers readied their strange looking rifles. <em>"Fire on my command!"</em> a tense silence befell upon the area.</p>
<p>
  <em>"Fire!"</em>
</p>
<p>What happened next surprised her. In the mere span it took for anyone to blink an eye, the Corporal had moved his body with such speed and grace that would make even the most graceful of the Elven Species green with envy. Ten thunderous roars came from his large pistol (at this point, she could call it as it was: A handheld cannon), and ten of the soldiers aiming their bizarre rifles went down in heaps, screaming bloody murder as they clutched at the stumps of what used to be their right or left arms, making the cowering villagers scream and duck in an effort to make themselves seem smaller. An eleventh roar sounded off, followed by the Lieutenant's scream of agony.</p>
<p>Olga looked at the Corporal with wide eyes. The small cannon in his hand still had its barrel smoking from the amount of shots it had fired. The large man then proceeded to do a series of motions that involved removing the gray box and replacing it with a new one, finishing off with a pull of a strange device mounted at the rear of the weapon, as he walked up to the downed officer.</p>
<p><em>"You defective piece of shit!"</em> the Lieutenant screamed in bloody murder, glaring at the man responsible of his current state. <em>"YOU'RE DEAD MAN, TAGGERT! YOU HEAR ME?! A DEAD MAN!"</em> the Corporal simply gave the Lieutenant a cold gaze before turning his attention to the cowering villagers. But before he could approach them, he and those around him heard rapidly approaching footsteps. Surrounding him were more soldiers, all aiming their strange rifles at him.</p>
<p><em>"Down on the ground!"</em> one of the new soldiers ordered, rifle firmly aimed at the Corporal's center of mass. The large man simply stood there, unmoving and utterly silent.</p>
<p><em>"I say again! Down on the ground, Taggert!" </em>the soldier repeated, aiming higher, Olga's eyes tracing its aim to that of the Corporal's head. The Corporal simply continuing being silent but this time he scanned his surroundings, his face covering visor reflecting everything in front of it, regarding the soldiers that surrounded him.</p>
<p>The Dark Elf could tell that the man was analyzing his situation. Just as he was about to make his move, a new voice called out to him. The voice sounded older and more… <em>inhuman</em> than the Lieutenant still lying on the ground in agony.</p>
<p><strong><em>"Stand down, Corporal."</em></strong> Immediately, like clockwork, the soldiers quickly lowered their rifles and stood straight while the Corporal turned his head to face the newcomer. Olga did the same and saw another officer approaching them. This man looked different from the rest, his uniform a lighter shade of tan compared to the others and decorated with light armored plating in comparison to the moderate armored plating of most of the soldiers and the Corporal's own heavily armored body. The man's head and face bore no helmet, allowing her to see the physical age of the man and the maintained gray hair that framed his head. His eyes were the coldest of blue steel, piercing into all that lied in front of their gaze.</p>
<p>This officer calmly approached the large Corporal as some of the soldiers helped the downed soldiers and the Lieutenant, craning his neck upwards to make direct eye contact with the larger man. Olga can clearly see that his neck was encased by a metal collar of sorts. Lights would occasionally blink, signifying that this collar had another purpose aside from protection.</p>
<p><strong><em>"I will not ask again, Corporal,"</em></strong> the aged officer spoke once more, voice distorted and inhuman, as he approached the Corporal. The large man looked down upon the older officer for a few moments before placing his hand cannon back into its holster.</p>
<p><strong><em>"Good man,"</em></strong> the officer said before motioning to the other soldiers. <strong><em>"Take the civilians to their designated zone. And make it quick, al-Ramal has been rather… anxious lately,"</em></strong> these soldiers complied and began to guide the frightened civilians out of the area. The Corporal watched as they went away.</p>
<p><strong><em>"Now then,"</em></strong> the officer spoke up, grabbing the attention of the Corporal and Olga, as he gestured to the larger man, <strong><em>"Follow me, Corporal. We've much to discuss regarding recent… endeavors."</em></strong> The large soldier nodded and began to follow the old officer.</p>
<p>Olga made to follow the two only to find that she is unable to. <em>"What the?"</em> she blinked, trying to move only to find herself running in place. As she looked around, the environment began to blur and fade away, signifying the end of this vision. Soon, Olga found herself in a pitch black void, with nothing around her for miles but specks of dust frozen mid-air.</p>
<p><strong><em>"</em></strong><strong><em>?̴s̵e̵y̴ ̷,̷e̴f̶i̵l̵ ̴s̷i̶h̴ ̵u̵oy̶ n̷w̵o̵hs̴ e̶v'I̴ ̶yh̴w̵ ̷g̵n̶i̶r̴e̶d̴n̵o̶w̶ ̷e̴r̴'u̷o̴y̷ ̴e̶r̷u̷s̴ ̴m'I̷,̵"̷ ("I'm sure you are wondering why I've shown you his life, yes?") </em></strong>a dark voice suddenly spoke beside her, causing the Dark Elf Queen to flinch and turn to face the other occupant of this voice. There was nothing around her. Steeling her nerve, Olga made a demand into the black abyss.</p>
<p>"Show yourself!" to her anger and shock, the mysterious voice gave a dark giggle at her.</p>
<p><strong><em>"</em></strong><strong><em>̵…̵y̴da̵l̶i̷M̵ ̴,̶od̴ ̷t̴'n̷o̴w̵ ̴ta̶h̵t̷ w̴o̴N̴,̴"̴</em></strong> <strong><em>("Now that won't do, Milady…") </em></strong>they spoke beside her once again, causing her to face in another direction only to be met with more darkness.</p>
<p><strong><em>"</em></strong><strong><em>̴.w̴on̵ ̴u̵o̶y̶ ̴o̵t̶ ̷f̶l̶e̶s̷y̴m̷ ̵d̴e̶woh̶s̴ ̶I̵ ̴fi̵ ̶eh̶c̶y̵s̶p̶ ̶ru̷o̴y̵ ̶mra̶h̵ ̴o̵t̴ ̷t̵n̶a̶w̵ ̶t̵'̵nd̴l̶u̶o̵w̶ ̴I̶,"̶</em></strong> <strong><em>("I wouldn't want to harm your psyche if I showed myself to you now.") </em></strong>The voice was condescending, mocking, and enlightening all at once.</p>
<p><strong><em>"</em></strong><strong><em>…̵l̴la̷ ̴r̶e̶tf̷A̷,̵"̶</em></strong> <strong><em>("After all…") </em></strong>now the voice was all around her. Suddenly, she felt something grab at her shoulder in a firm grip, causing her to freeze up in place.</p>
<p><strong><em>"</em></strong><strong><em>̵…̴n̵o̷os̶ o̴o̵t̷ ̶e̴s̶ir̷p̶rus̶ e̷h̴t̶ ̴l̵i̷op̶s̵ ̴o̴t̵ ̷e̶n̶o̶ t̷o̶n̴ ̷m̶'̵I̵,̶"</em></strong> <strong><em>("I'm not one to spoil the surprise too soon…") </em></strong>though she couldn't see it, she could <strong><em>feel</em></strong> this creature smile upon her in malicious delight.</p>
<p>Olga Discordia suddenly as sent flying back at an alarming speed, the floating specks of dust becoming afterimages and painfully stretched out lines in her vision.</p>
<p>Then, like the abyss that surrounded her, her vision black out, her consciousness fleeting.</p>
<p>All the while, a dark god laughs in her head.</p>
<hr/>
<p>[Capital of Keine | Early Morning]</p>
<p>"So boss," Ken spoke to him out of the blue, "what do you reckon Lady Celestine will give us this time?" The mage asked, curiosity laced in his words. Vult gave the inquiry some thought, musing over many possibilities.</p>
<p>"I'm not sure," he spoke honestly to the young mage. "We've been doing rather well by the borders and by the outer villages. Makes me wonder why Lady Celestine brought some of us back."</p>
<p>"Perhaps to allow us rest?"</p>
<p>"We could've done that by the borders, yeah?" Vult shot back his reply. Ken shook his head.</p>
<p>The mage made his reply. "I've been reading-"</p>
<p>"Of course you were," Vult mock-retorted in jest, a smile on his face as he led his personal troops through the streets.</p>
<p>"-a few books regarding the mind and how battlefields affect them," Ken continued without pause as if his leader never interrupted him in the first place. "One topic that struck to me as intriguing is that, if without rest, a soldier constantly fighting would lose his other senses and could begin to attack his allies in response just to get his fix."</p>
<p>"Is that so?" the mercenary warlord raised an eyebrow at Ken's words. Now that he thought about it, some of the men currently with him were the ones that have been fighting for weeks without end. He supposes that there was merit within the mage's words.</p>
<p>"If that were the case, then shouldn't we redraw the rest back, too?" one mercenary listening in on the conversation decided to chip in.</p>
<p>"No, that would be foolish. Withdrawing all troops back to rest would make the Demon Legions strike everywhere all at once. I've read that only those that have been fighting the longest should be redrawn for others to take their place." The mage's words made sense. It wouldn't be smart to withdraw all of their troops; it would suffice that only those that have been fighting nonstop be withdrawn.</p>
<p>"Well, whatever the case," Vult said, eyeing the White Fortress in the distance, "we're here now and we best get this business over with, yeah?"</p>
<p>A series of "ayes" sounded off from his men. They passed through the streets, the people's moods brightening upon seeing the returning mercenaries. Sights such as that made Vult smile on the inside. This is what they're fighting for, to preserve their collective kingdoms' very heart and soul from the dark monsters of the north.</p>
<p>After a few minutes of roaming around the city, they finally reached the White Fortress. The large gates opened up for them the moment the men manning the mechanisms saw who were approaching them. By the entrance to the White Fortress, they can already see Lady Celestine waiting for them, accompanied by Claudia Levantine, Maia and an armored individual they did not recognize. Putting on his best smile, he strode forward and greeted the Goddess Reborn.</p>
<p>[-|-]</p>
<p>"Your Grace!" The man leading the group of mercenaries greeted the elf. He had been leaning on one of the doors as to bide his time, observing whatever he could see with his eyes. In all honesty he could've simply charged towards the Black Fortress by his own, slaughter whatever was inside, and drag Olga Discordia back here kicking and screaming. However, for the sake of keeping appearances under <em><strong>his</strong></em> orders, he will have to play nice.</p>
<p>The ones that stood out the most were three men. First was the leader who stood at around 6'6"/1.98m, a muscular build to go along with that height. He wore a simple dark gray tunic with brown pants and a dark brown cape was clasped on his broad shoulders. The only visible pieces of armor on his person were the metal gloves and left gauntlet along with his metal encased boots. A large sword was on his back, the blade clearly showing signs of age and conflict. The man's skin was a tanned brown, probably a sign of where he was born or of how often he fought under the blistering sun, with dark brown hair framing his head nicely. Even from here, the Slayer could see the man's crimson eyes shine with something. It was something he was familiar with too well.</p>
<p>Ambition, the man's eyes held great and terrible ambition. It reminded him too much of…</p>
<p>The Slayer stopped his thoughts there. The less he thought about <em><strong>that day</strong></em>, the better he can control himself.</p>
<p>Moving over to the second man, this one was the shortest of the three, standing in at 5'8"/1.72m. He was young and had pale skin, a sign of an introverted life or of a life that did not involve as much sunlight as others, with light brown hair in a finely trimmed manner and dark blue eyes framed by a pristine pair of glasses. He wore robes of blue that hid his build from the world although the Slayer can tell he was on the skinny side. In one hand, he held a tome, signifying that he was a mage.</p>
<p>He looked more a boy than a man with how he looked.</p>
<p>Curiosity twinkled in the boy's eyes and he appeared to be conversing with the third man regarding something.</p>
<p>The third man was lean, more muscle on him than the boy but less of that than the first man, standing in at 6'3"/1.9m. He wore an open green vest that hid nothing about his torso, showing a fit physique and some long healed battle scars of conflicts long won. Blue pants neatly framed his legs and two sheathes were strapped to each upper leg, their length indicating that they were short-swords or similar bladed instruments. His skin was plain much like the Caucasian males of Europe and America, with shaggy brown hair and light almond eyes to complete the look.</p>
<p>He had a cocky demeanor about him. Probably took pride in his battles.</p>
<p>"We are here as you have requested, Your Grace," the leader lowered himself to one knee, the rest of his men following suit in near perfect unison.</p>
<p>"Rise, Ser Vult," so this was the shmuck he's going to work with, eh? He looked adequate enough in medieval combat, he supposed. "You and your men have done well in repelling the Demon Armies of the North."</p>
<p>"We take pride in our work, Lady Celestine," Vult spoke, tone even to most although the Slayer can hear some joy in the man's tone.</p>
<p>"I am sure you are wondering as to why I called you and your personal band to the Fortress," Celestine said, knowing the thoughts on the minds of each mercenary with a quick glance over each of them. Gesturing to the insides of the Fortress, she continues. "Come, we can discuss more once we are inside."</p>
<p>The Slayer took that as his cue to get in. Without waiting for another word, the Marine walked past Claudia Levantine, who gave the large man a stern glare as he did, and into the large castle, and Maia, who simply greeted old comrades instead of reacting to the large man's sudden actions, heading towards the war room where he and the Black Dogs shall be briefed on the coming joint op.</p>
<p>In minutes, he had arrived ahead of everyone else and took his place leaning against one of the pillars of the war room. After waiting a while, the rest of them arrived. He could see that woman's eyes bore into him with another stern glare.</p>
<p>"Must you be rude to your allies, Ser Behemoth?" he shrugged at her rhetorical question and simply gave the others a look over to analyze them.</p>
<p>"Peace, Claudia," the elf said, placating her before taking her seat at the large table. Claudia, Maia and Vult followed as well as the boy and the other man. The rest simply chose to stand, their posture showcasing discipline. He internally grunted in approval, remembering old days. They were fragments now, but they still gave him enough to know of his own past.</p>
<p>"Let us begin," Celestine said, looking over the large map of Selenus as did Claudia and the others who were seated. The Marine simply chose to use the zoom function of his helmet to memorize the layout of the map, filing it away for future reference.</p>
<p>"Ser Vult, would you tell us of your progress regarding the borders?" the mercenary leader nodded and began to set a few pieces to symbolize his army and his enemies.</p>
<p>"We've been getting more and more raids with each passing day, Your Grace," he began, pointing to the areas to the northern edges of their borders. "Either they're getting desperate or something is making them throw themselves at our walls with reckless abandon. We lost some good men trying to push them back." He marked some areas with 'X' marks, showing where they had suffered losses.</p>
<p>"How many?" Claudia asked, slowly dreading whatever number cropped up. The mercenary leader exhaled a heavy breath before responding.</p>
<p>"Nearly a century each per location," he grimly stated. Counting the marks, he could see that they lost almost twenty centuries worth of troops, pretty much a fifth of a full legion. That's not a good sign, especially for any nation lacking much technological progress.</p>
<p>"Dammit," Maia cursed under her breath, no doubt angered at so many lives lost in a short span of time.</p>
<p>"They were supported by these… <em><strong>things</strong></em>," the lean man spoke up, his face donning a grim expression. "I dunno what those bastards were, but they threw some freaky fireballs at us."</p>
<p>"So? Many creatures with enough magic affinity can conjure up a basic fireball," Claudia said, unsure of how these ones were any different. "Many defenses can shrug off a volley of those, Ser Hicks."</p>
<p>"Not these ones, Lady Claudia," the boy mage spoke in defense of the lean man. "I've had the misfortune of feeling the heat of one closely flying past my face. It was as if a volcano had erupted near my face." That grabbed the Marine's attention, prompting him to speak up for the first time since the meeting had begun.</p>
<p>"What did they look like?" his rough, booming voice caught many off guard. The spectacled boy responded, not losing a beat. With a flurry of finger motions and using thickened puffs of smoke from the nearby lit candles, he made a roughly accurate appearance of the creatures he and the other man spoke of.</p>
<p>"It's not entirely accurate as we were in battle at the time but this should-" the boy was interrupted by the sound of wood breaking. Everyone turned their attention to the large man once more, noting that he had crushed a part of the war room's table with one hand.</p>
<p>"Holy shit, big guy!" Maia's eyes bugged out at the sight.</p>
<p>"Control yourself, Ser Behemoth!" Claudia commanded sternly.</p>
<p>At first, he thought it was pure coincidence, hearing the description of those fireballs. But, as he had learned over his long life and in his endless crusade against Hell, he damn well knew that so called coincidences are simply signs of something big happening.</p>
<p>The creature shown was, if standing completely upright and not on all fours as shown, 6 feet 6 inches/1.98 meters in height, featuring a lean build much like many athletic people. The creature was covered in naturally occurring armor, covering its entire body in segmented pieces. Each hand featured three clawed fingers and one clawed opposable thumb while each foot had two clawed toes and one large talon much like prehistoric Velociraptors would have on their feet. Its head was vaguely humanoid and avian in appearance, featuring two sets of eyes, one set larger than the other. Spikes were clear on this creature, to on each shoulder and one for each elbow and knee and its spine featured protruding studs.</p>
<p>No doubt about it, this was a fucking Imp.</p>
<p>"Do you recognize this creature, Ser Behemoth?" Celestine's words, laced with worry and fear, reached his ears, snapping him out of his rage for a moment. Looking at her and the other occupants, it was clear none had expected this reaction from him.</p>
<p>"Wait, this guy's the Behemoth?" the lean man from before asked, recognition slowly filling his expression. "I knew something was familiar about this guy!" he gave a toothy grin. The other mercenaries looked at one another in surprise. Vult regarded the Marine with a calculative eye, sizing him up most likely. The young mage looked at him with more curiosity than before, as if he wanted to study the Marine.</p>
<p>He paid them all no mind and responded, forcing himself to be calm for the time being.</p>
<p>"This is a demon, elf. One that's from Hell itself," his words were met with skeptical expressions.</p>
<p>"Hell? No offense buddy," the lean man started, a skeptical look on his face, "but that's a little crazy, don't you think?"</p>
<p>"You're fighting a bunch of overgrown mushrooms and you're telling me Hell isn't a possibility?" He asked as calmly as he could. He couldn't afford to let loose here lest he end up killing potential allies. The lean man, Hicks, raised his hands in a placating manner.</p>
<p>"Hey, I'm just saying that for those things to be here, there needs to be something done to get even one of them here, right? Something <em>real</em> nasty, right?" the Marine nodded at the man's words. Turning his attention back to the map, he began to look at various hotspots their enemy could use as summoning grounds. He needed to assess this first before he started jumping to conclusions.</p>
<p>"How many of these things were there in each skirmish?" he asked, his words directed at the spectacled mage. The young man cleared his throat before making to reply.</p>
<p>"Easily a score each, those things being accompanied by a few of these horrendous things," another flurry of fingers and more puffs of smoke formed another creature beside the Imp. Where the Imp was lean and lanky, this creature was stocky and muscular. Strong, ape-like arms and legs helped the creature stay balanced on its otherwise heavy body. Its head was large and horned with a mouth full of tusks and sharp teeth arranged in an animalistic frown, with two large eyes set in a harsh glare at whatever lied in front of it. A stubby tail lazily moved about behind it. The creature as hunched over and its spines also had protruding studs. Much like the Imp, segmented natural armor covered its entire body, although more armor was emphasized on the front of the creature.</p>
<p>A Bull Daemon, commonly known by UAC personnel and other factions fighting Hell as a 'Pinky' for how most of its species sported a rather vibrant pink coloration to their natural armor and for their thick skin underneath.</p>
<p>"Anything else?" the Marine asked, finding it hard to remain calm as he scanned the map, quickly eliminating sites that were too small to summon such numbers.</p>
<p>"None from what we could see although, knowing these fouls Orcs and their newfound friends, there's bound to be more hiding in wait." Oh how the mercenary leader was right in that regard.</p>
<p>"When and where did they first appear?" he asked once more and was answered.</p>
<p>"The damned beasts came knocking around a month ago. Thing is, these things were few at the time and we weren't too focused on them as the Orcs and other creatures occupied our thoughts and actions," he grunted but nodded regardless, turning his attention back to the map and trying to narrow it down even further. That meant that the closer to any Shield Alliance territories where most of the skirmishes occurred were eliminated from the equation.</p>
<p>"Was there anything out of the ordinary when you fought them? Specifically in the surrounding areas?" the mercenaries gathered in the room shook their heads. Just as he was about to ask another question, Vult spoke up once more.</p>
<p>"The air seemed deader near the Garran Badlands, if that's any help. It had the stench of rotting flesh, even if no battle took place there." The Marine nodded, looking at the Garran portion of the map and its surrounding areas.</p>
<p>"Did you send anyone to investigate?"</p>
<p>"Aye, a team just a week back. They searched as safely as they could without fighting and found nothing in the dead jungles or of the wastelands." That left one area, the Marine realized. Straightening himself, he turned to Celestine and Claudia, the two silent throughout the little exchange.</p>
<p>"This is a problem."</p>
<p>"What do you mean, Ser Behemoth?"</p>
<p>"In order to summon this many demons in a short period of time, one would need to assemble a large Gore Nest," he elaborated, earning disgusted looks from some and confused looks from the rest. Though unfamiliar with the term, the tone behind his words told them that it was something disgusting.</p>
<p>"How do you know this?" the accusatory tone in Claudia's voice wasn't missed by a long shot. The Marine simply gave her the answer.</p>
<p>"I've fought these things for a long, <em><strong>long</strong></em> time and this is one of many ways they invade." He explained before shifting his attention, and theirs, to the areas where the skirmishes happen. "This will seem like horseshit to you all, but what you all faced was merely a scouting force." That drew a reaction, a highly negative one.</p>
<p>"You're telling me that all those men and women that died, are from fucking scouts?!" one mercenary seethed, slamming a fist into a nearby wooden pillar, causing it to slightly cave in from the impact force. The rest of the mercenaries, save for the three seated, also reacted negatively to this news. It was clear that some of these men and women were close to some of those that had perished.</p>
<p>"Yeah," he responded in a calm tone, yet many could feel the grim lacing in his words. He was just as mad as them, perhaps more if his words were to be believed. Turning back to the map, he continued.</p>
<p>"If Vult's words are true, then that leaves open areas out of the equation," he points to one particular spot, getting their attention. "These things would need to build the nest underground, specifically in a structurally sound and secure position." They all looked and had varying degrees of dread.</p>
<p>The Nigrum Fortuna, also known in common tongue as the Black Fortress, capital of Garran and home to the very leader of their enemies, Olga Discordia, the Dark Elf Queen of the Jagged Crown. Celestine Lucullus, in particular, paled at the implications.</p>
<p>"No…" she breathed out in horror.</p>
<p>"Guess that means the other reason we're all here is out of the question, then," the Marine's voice grabbed their attention. Seeing the confusion in their faces, he explained further.</p>
<p>"I was brought here to capture Olga Discordia and, before all of this was dropped on our heads, I was to accompany you boys and girls into the Nigrum Fortuna." Turning his head to Celestine, Vult saw her nod in confirmation.</p>
<p>"So had these things not shown up, this could've ended the war within the month at most?" the Marine nodded to the mercenary leader. Vult cursed under his breath, the feeling mutual amongst his subordinates.</p>
<p>Why can't things ever be simple?</p>
<hr/>
<p>[The Black Fortress | Olga's Bedchambers]</p>
<p>The first thing Olga noted when she woke up was that the very atmosphere of her castle had become colder and more suffocating. Over the millennium that she had stayed within these walls, they had always been cold and suffocating but never to this extent. Getting up and out of her bed as quickly as she could, the queen quickly scanned her surroundings for whatever was the cause of this.</p>
<p>Her eyes saw nothing yet she kept her guard up. Not all threats are those you can see, after all. Focusing her mind, Olga quickly begins to scan everything within the room through the use of her magic.</p>
<p>There it was, somewhere through the walls. Getting dressed, she began to close in on the source, walking down the dimly lit halls of her castle. Once upon a time, these halls flourished with life, many Dark Elf citizens and servants alike roaming the massive halls. Now, only darkness surrounded her and the occasional Dark Elf soldier or Orc warrior greeted her eyes. The mysterious source of power moved and she changed course to further follow it.</p>
<p>She traveled through a multitude of halls, passing a few Dark Elves and some Orcs along the way, as she pursued this mysterious energy. Her little chase had led her through an old stairwell rarely used anymore, one that was rarely used for a good reason.</p>
<p>She still recognized the intricate metalwork frame of the aged, wooden doors leading to the stairwell. She remembers her mother, working with her circle of fellow sorcerers and sorceresses to create new things and discover sights never before seen to help Garran prosper over all of the nations in Selenus, all of those achieved within the very chambers this stairwell led to. Those were days she wishes to relive again, just once.</p>
<p>Where had things gone wrong?</p>
<p>Steeling herself, Olga opened the aged wooden doors hiding away the stairway leading down to the detestable chamber. She immediately noted that the many candles, long used and melted away, had been replaced by new ones, these candles glowing bright, malevolent green as opposed to the warm, inviting orange.</p>
<p>Someone has been using this chamber in recent memory and she had a damn good suspicion on who it was. Snarling, she glided down the stairwell, moving gracefully yet hauntingly like an angelic phantom. Once she reached the large doors sealing the chamber itself from the world, Olga used her magic to blow them wide open.</p>
<p>Where once it was a pristine and grand chamber were many practitioners of magic would collaborate to progress Garran into a powerful nation, now only a dark presence bathes the chamber, casting everything within the chamber in pitch darkness. Despite the lighting of the candles in the stairwell, she could not see what had been changed; even when her own natural elven eyesight, superior to human eyesight, being enhanced by passive wards were brought into the equation.</p>
<p>"BALTH'AZAR!" she roared into the darkness, magic flaring up in preparation for the imminent confrontation. "SHOW YOURSELF!" in response, the damnable thing laughed all around her.</p>
<p><em><strong>"</strong></em><em><strong>̶̛̼͉̕</strong></em><em><strong>.</strong></em><em><strong>̴͎͝</strong></em><em><strong>.</strong></em><em><strong>̶̙͛̾</strong></em><em><strong>.</strong></em><em><strong>̶̗̊́͜</strong></em><em><strong>y</strong></em><em><strong>d</strong></em><em><strong>̶̺̮̏͠</strong></em><em><strong>a</strong></em><em><strong>̵̢͈̈́</strong></em><em><strong>l</strong></em><em><strong>̷̢̙͘͝</strong></em><em><strong>i</strong></em><em><strong>̴̼̎ͅ</strong></em><em><strong>M</strong></em><em><strong>̶͝</strong></em><em><strong>̦̋</strong></em><em><strong>̗</strong></em><em><strong>,</strong></em><em><strong>̵̰̾</strong></em><em><strong>h</strong></em><em><strong>̵̨̞́</strong></em><em><strong>s</strong></em><em><strong>̷͎͙̀̔</strong></em><em><strong>i</strong></em><em><strong>̵̤͈̒</strong></em><em><strong>w</strong></em><em><strong>̦</strong></em><em><strong>̴</strong></em><em><strong>́</strong></em><em><strong>̠͚͒</strong></em><em><strong>u</strong></em><em><strong>̷̧̢̀̓</strong></em><em><strong>o</strong></em><em><strong>̳</strong></em><em><strong>y</strong></em><em><strong>́</strong></em><em><strong>̺͍̾</strong></em><em><strong>̷̙̽</strong></em><em><strong>s</strong></em><em><strong>̷̮̿͠</strong></em><em><strong>A</strong></em><em><strong>̵̢̲̊</strong></em><em><strong>,</strong></em><em><strong>̵</strong></em><em><strong>̌</strong></em><em><strong>̼̭͛</strong></em><em><strong>"</strong></em><em><strong>̴̈́̚</strong></em><em><strong>̣</strong></em><em><strong>̝</strong></em> <strong>("As you wish, Milady…")</strong> the <strong>Daemon </strong>replied in a mocking tone. Around her, arctic blizzards and infernal blazes erupted all around her, engulfing her in a twister of sorts. The veil of darkness lifted from her vision and Olga wished it hadn't.</p>
<p>Though the <strong>Daemon</strong> stood ahead of her, towering over her like always, the more horrific thing that caught her eyes was the changes to the chamber itself.</p>
<p>Where pristine brimstone walls, floors and obsidian pillars stood are walls, floors, and pillars made of <em><strong>flesh</strong></em> and <em><strong>metal</strong></em>. Where intricate golden metalwork decorated the chamber was dirtied bronze metalwork, these ones shaped in ways that spoke of demonic origin in contrast to the elven origin from before. Above her, a large bloodshot eye stared back at everything in the room, thick veins running across it like everything else in the chamber. In the recessed areas, dark blood flowed freely in them.</p>
<p>At the very heart of the chamber was something that made Olga vomit, spilling the contents of last night's meal onto the floor. Balth'Azar merely chuckled in response to her reaction.</p>
<p>It was massive, shaped like a heart and beating like one too, pumping entire rivers worth of blood into the chamber which was then absorbed by the flesh and metal or flowed into the recesses of the chamber. Seven glowing eyes dotted the heart like thing, each one glaring at everything around them. Above the infernal thing was a massive portal- no, she told herself, this was a tear between the material plane and the immaterial plane, easily engulfing the room in unholy light. From within the tear, sinister whispers sang in her ears and filled the chamber with their chatter.</p>
<p>It was like an altar, but corrupted and perverted beyond sanity.</p>
<p><em><strong>"</strong></em><em><strong>̴̢̍͐ͅ</strong></em><em><strong>?</strong></em><em><strong>̵̧̯̚</strong></em><em><strong>y</strong></em><em><strong>̷</strong></em><em><strong>̃</strong></em><em><strong>̢̠</strong></em><em><strong>d</strong></em><em><strong>̵̮̊</strong></em><em><strong>a</strong></em><em><strong>̷͉͐</strong></em><em><strong>l</strong></em><em><strong>̶</strong></em><em><strong>̋</strong></em><em><strong>̯͘</strong></em><em><strong>͇</strong></em><em><strong>i</strong></em><em><strong>̵͍͐</strong></em><em><strong>M</strong></em><em><strong>̷</strong></em><em><strong>̋</strong></em><em><strong>͔̕</strong></em><em><strong>,</strong></em><em><strong>̴̩́͝</strong></em><em><strong>g</strong></em><em><strong>̷̡̔</strong></em><em><strong>n</strong></em><em><strong>̷̨͝</strong></em><em><strong>i</strong></em><em><strong>k</strong></em><em><strong>̴̤͂̏</strong></em><em><strong>i</strong></em><em><strong>̷</strong></em><em><strong>̆</strong></em><em><strong>̤̜</strong></em><em><strong>l</strong></em><em><strong>̵̹͋</strong></em><em><strong>̴̹̀</strong></em><em><strong>r</strong></em><em><strong>̴̼͠</strong></em><em><strong>u</strong></em><em><strong>̶</strong></em><em><strong>́</strong></em><em><strong>͉̟͂</strong></em><em><strong>o</strong></em><em><strong>̶̪͕͒͗</strong></em><em><strong>y</strong></em><em><strong>̶̏</strong></em><em><strong>́</strong></em><em><strong>̻̬</strong></em><em><strong>̷</strong></em><em><strong>̈</strong></em><em><strong>̞̜</strong></em><em><strong>o</strong></em><em><strong>̷͊</strong></em><em><strong>̃</strong></em><em><strong>̯̫</strong></em><em><strong>t</strong></em><em><strong>̶͙̓͘</strong></em><em><strong>̴͓͋̏͜</strong></em><em><strong>t</strong></em><em><strong>̵̥͔͌</strong></em><em><strong>i</strong></em><em><strong>̆</strong></em><em><strong>̲̠̍</strong></em><em><strong>̵͔̿</strong></em><em><strong>s</strong></em><em><strong>̷̥͎̔͠</strong></em><em><strong>I</strong></em><em><strong>̵͖̩͛͘</strong></em><em><strong>,</strong></em><em><strong>"</strong></em><em><strong>̶</strong></em><em><strong>̆</strong></em><em><strong>͚͂</strong></em><em><strong>͇</strong></em><em><strong>̵̡͑</strong></em><em><strong> ("Is it to your liking, Milady?") </strong></em>the <strong>Daemon </strong>asked mockingly as he circled around her, heavy footsteps sounding off from his large hooves.</p>
<p>She continued to dry-heave, horrified at what had become of the chamber. The Baron grunted before giving her a swift kick from behind, sending her flying into one of the many recesses in the chamber, drenching the Dark Queen of the Jagged Crown from head to toe in dark blood. That got a reaction from her, as she quickly surfaced and coughed out whatever blood had gotten inside her mouth, gagging and retching as she did. She struggled in the deep pool of blood, trying to get to dry land. Eventually, she did, emerging from the pool a blood-soaked mess, everywhere on her body stained deep crimson.</p>
<p>"What…" she breathed out, weakly looking up to glare at the Baron. "Wh… what… have you…" the <em><strong>Daemon</strong></em> chuckled in response, the noise coming off as deep and guttural rumbles in his throat.</p>
<p><em><strong>"</strong></em><em><strong>̴</strong></em><em><strong>̃̃</strong></em><em><strong>͔̗</strong></em><em><strong>…</strong></em><em><strong>̴̈́</strong></em><em><strong>̈</strong></em><em><strong>̙ͅ</strong></em><em><strong>m</strong></em><em><strong>̷</strong></em><em><strong>̀</strong></em><em><strong>͓̽</strong></em><em><strong>u</strong></em><em><strong>̃</strong></em><em><strong>̰̟</strong></em><em><strong>i</strong></em><em><strong>̴̡̈́̿</strong></em><em><strong>n</strong></em><em><strong>̴̪͋̐</strong></em><em><strong>n</strong></em><em><strong>̵</strong></em><em><strong>̌</strong></em><em><strong>̏</strong></em><em><strong>̦</strong></em><em><strong>̬</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̷͘͝</strong></em><em><strong>͇</strong></em><em><strong>͈</strong></em><em><strong>l</strong></em><em><strong>l</strong></em><em><strong>i</strong></em><em><strong>̵̘̀͂</strong></em><em><strong>m</strong></em><em><strong>̵͕̄̇</strong></em><em><strong>t</strong></em><em><strong>̶̞̾</strong></em><em><strong>s</strong></em><em><strong>̷̻̈́</strong></em><em><strong>a</strong></em><em><strong>̴</strong></em><em><strong>̈</strong></em><em><strong>́</strong></em><em><strong>̱</strong></em><em><strong>p</strong></em><em><strong>̴̗͈͘͠</strong></em><em><strong>̌</strong></em><em><strong>̣e</strong></em><em><strong>̴͚̔̓</strong></em><em><strong>h</strong></em><em><strong>̶</strong></em><em><strong>̃</strong></em><em><strong>̺</strong></em><em><strong>t</strong></em><em><strong>̷̡̊</strong></em><em><strong>r</strong></em><em><strong>̶</strong></em><em><strong>̌</strong></em><em><strong>̿</strong></em><em><strong>͇</strong></em><em><strong>͉</strong></em><em><strong>o</strong></em><em><strong>̴̫͊̇</strong></em><em><strong>f</strong></em><em><strong>̴͘</strong></em><em><strong>̳̈</strong></em><em><strong>̴̙̹̈́̚</strong></em><em><strong>g</strong></em><em><strong>̶̯̓̀</strong></em><em><strong>n</strong></em><em><strong>̴̝̤͂</strong></em><em><strong>i</strong></em><em><strong>̶̛̜̻</strong></em><em><strong>o</strong></em><em><strong>d</strong></em><em><strong>̆</strong></em><em><strong>̯̀</strong></em><em><strong>n</strong></em><em><strong>̵̘͙͑</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̶</strong></em><em><strong>̀̉</strong></em><em><strong>̫̞</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̵̮͑</strong></em><em><strong>b</strong></em><em><strong>̵͉͉̾̎</strong></em><em><strong>̴̗̓̔</strong></em><em><strong>s</strong></em><em><strong>̵̙͌̚</strong></em><em><strong>y</strong></em><em><strong>̶̘͍̐̑</strong></em><em><strong>a</strong></em><em><strong>̷̱͎͐̎</strong></em><em><strong>w</strong></em><em><strong>̶̡͎̓</strong></em><em><strong>l</strong></em><em><strong>̵͎̺͂</strong></em><em><strong>a</strong></em><em><strong>̷̨̺̅̊</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̵̛̐</strong></em><em><strong>̦</strong></em><em><strong>̙</strong></em><em><strong>v</strong></em><em><strong>̴̗̩̈́͐</strong></em><em><strong>'</strong></em><em><strong>̶̫̅</strong></em><em><strong>I</strong></em><em><strong>̶̡́</strong></em><em><strong>̵̥͌͝</strong></em><em><strong>t</strong></em><em><strong>a</strong></em><em><strong>̶̽</strong></em><em><strong>̣</strong></em><em><strong>̻</strong></em><em><strong>h</strong></em><em><strong>̴͉̓͜</strong></em><em><strong>w</strong></em><em><strong>̵͗</strong></em><em><strong>̳</strong></em><em><strong>̵͚̩͊̓</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̉̀</strong></em><em><strong>͖</strong></em><em><strong>n</strong></em><em><strong>̷̮̞̇͛</strong></em><em><strong>o</strong></em><em><strong>̷̧̈́͂</strong></em><em><strong>d</strong></em><em><strong>̴̭̯̇</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>v</strong></em><em><strong>̵̪͂</strong></em><em><strong>'</strong></em><em><strong>̷̞̐</strong></em><em><strong>̦</strong></em><em><strong>I</strong></em><em><strong>̵̙͎̊̄</strong></em><em><strong>,</strong></em><em><strong>"</strong></em><em><strong>̵</strong></em><em><strong>̀</strong></em><em><strong>͙͌</strong></em><em><strong>̷̭͌͋</strong></em><em><strong> ("I've done what I've always been doing for the past millennium…") </strong></em>Balth'Azar said as if it explained everything. <em><strong>"</strong></em><em><strong>̵̜̪͛͝</strong></em><em><strong>!</strong></em><em><strong>̵̀͗͜</strong></em><em><strong>n</strong></em><em><strong>̴͔͋͋</strong></em><em><strong>̦</strong></em><em><strong>i</strong></em><em><strong>̴</strong></em><em><strong>́</strong></em><em><strong>̺͌</strong></em><em><strong>g</strong></em><em><strong>̷͖͆</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̷̖͈͐</strong></em><em><strong>b</strong></em><em><strong>̴</strong></em><em><strong>̦̂̈</strong></em><em><strong>̷</strong></em><em><strong>̀</strong></em><em><strong>͕</strong></em><strong>Y</strong><strong>̷</strong><strong>̃</strong><strong>̧̕</strong><strong>L</strong><strong>̶͙͈̿͛</strong><strong>U</strong><strong>͇</strong><strong>̘</strong><strong>R</strong><strong>̵̓</strong><strong>̳</strong><strong>T</strong><strong>̴̘̏</strong><strong>͇</strong><strong>̷̈́</strong><em><strong>̂</strong></em><em><strong>͓</strong></em><em><strong>o</strong></em><em><strong>t</strong></em><em><strong>d</strong></em><em><strong>̴</strong></em><em><strong>̉</strong></em><em><strong>͎</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̵̭̯̒</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>n</strong></em><em><strong>̶</strong></em><em><strong>̃</strong></em><em><strong>̒</strong></em><em><strong>̦</strong></em><em><strong>̶̠̑͑</strong></em><em><strong>I</strong></em><em><strong>̴̨̟̍͘</strong></em><em><strong>̷̯͐</strong></em><em><strong>t</strong></em><em><strong>a</strong></em><em><strong>h</strong></em><em><strong>̴̥͋͜</strong></em><em><strong>w</strong></em><em><strong>̴̩͓̿</strong></em><em><strong>̴̪̀̈́</strong></em><em><strong>t</strong></em><em><strong>̷̪͎͋</strong></em><em><strong>l</strong></em><em><strong>̵̠̕</strong></em><em><strong>i</strong></em><em><strong>u</strong></em><em><strong>̶</strong></em><em><strong>̆</strong></em><em><strong>̝̠̊</strong></em><em><strong>b</strong></em><em><strong>̷̹̫̓</strong></em><em><strong>̶̘̊</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>v</strong></em><em><strong>'</strong></em><em><strong>̴̘͌</strong></em><em><strong>I</strong></em><em><strong>̶̺̓̄</strong></em><em><strong>̳</strong></em><em><strong>,</strong></em><em><strong>̷͍̰̐</strong></em><em><strong>"</strong></em><em><strong>̵̢̤͒</strong></em><em><strong>̴͍͌̚</strong></em> <em><strong>("I've built what I need to </strong></em><strong>TRULY</strong><em><strong> begin!")</strong></em> he said, dramatically gesturing to everything in the chamber, the heart-like structure included.</p>
<p><em><strong>"</strong></em><em><strong>!</strong></em><em><strong>̷̼̹͐͛</strong></em><em><strong>w</strong></em><em><strong>̴͊</strong></em><em><strong>̣o</strong></em><em><strong>̶͔̐</strong></em><em><strong>n</strong></em><em><strong>̷</strong></em><em><strong>̀</strong></em><em><strong>̢̮͋</strong></em><em><strong>d</strong></em><em><strong>̵͈͗</strong></em><em><strong>n</strong></em><em><strong>̵̲̻͝</strong></em><em><strong>A</strong></em><em><strong>̷̖̾̍</strong></em><em><strong>,</strong></em><em><strong>̵̰͝</strong></em><em><strong>"</strong></em><em><strong>̵̫̩͛</strong></em><em><strong>̶̡͐͝</strong></em><em><strong> ("And now!")</strong></em>Balth'Azar continued, turning his attention away from her and towards the heart. <em><strong>"</strong></em><em><strong>̷</strong></em><em><strong>̆</strong></em><em><strong>͖</strong></em><em><strong>!</strong></em><em><strong>s</strong></em><em><strong>̴</strong></em><em><strong>̆</strong></em><em><strong>̱͝</strong></em><em><strong>n</strong></em><em><strong>̷͑</strong></em><em><strong>̦͇</strong></em><em><strong>i</strong></em><em><strong>̴̛</strong></em><em><strong>̃</strong></em><em><strong>̢̙</strong></em><em><strong>g</strong></em><em><strong>̴̰͆̚</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̀</strong></em><em><strong>̡̑</strong></em><em><strong>b</strong></em><em><strong>̌</strong></em><em><strong>̠̞̇</strong></em><em><strong>d</strong></em><em><strong>̵̮̬̇</strong></em><em><strong>l</strong></em><em><strong>r</strong></em><em><strong>̵̰͌</strong></em><em><strong>o</strong></em><em><strong>̵̺̑</strong></em><em><strong>w</strong></em><em><strong>̷̛̀</strong></em><em><strong>̳</strong></em><em><strong>n</strong></em><em><strong>̷͖̏̈́</strong></em><em><strong>i</strong></em><em><strong>g</strong></em><em><strong>̵̯̔̄</strong></em><em><strong>r</strong></em><em><strong>̷̛̮̀</strong></em><em><strong>i</strong></em><em><strong>̵</strong></em><em><strong>̉</strong></em><em><strong>̿</strong></em><em><strong>̣v</strong></em><em><strong>̵̱̓͜</strong></em><em><strong>̵̖̓̍</strong></em><em><strong>s</strong></em><em><strong>̶̠̅̓</strong></em><em><strong>i</strong></em><em><strong>̶͖̍͂</strong></em><em><strong>̳</strong></em><em><strong>h</strong></em><em><strong>t</strong></em><em><strong>̴</strong></em><em><strong>̀</strong></em><em><strong>̤</strong></em><em><strong>f</strong></em><em><strong>̶̔</strong></em><em><strong>̋</strong></em><em><strong>̮</strong></em><em><strong>o</strong></em><em><strong>̦</strong></em><em><strong>̶̜̼̇</strong></em><em><strong>t</strong></em><em><strong>̵</strong></em><em><strong>̉</strong></em><em><strong>̯̜̕</strong></em><em><strong>s</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̵̩̑̓</strong></em><em><strong>u</strong></em><em><strong>̶</strong></em><em><strong>̋</strong></em><em><strong>̖̬</strong></em><em><strong>q</strong></em><em><strong>̷̝͋</strong></em><em><strong>n</strong></em><em><strong>̋</strong></em><em><strong>͓̝̽</strong></em><em><strong>o</strong></em><em><strong>̵̐̎</strong></em><em><strong>̣c</strong></em><em><strong>̴͌̈́</strong></em><em><strong>̣</strong></em><em><strong>̫</strong></em><em><strong>y</strong></em><em><strong>̵</strong></em><em><strong>̌</strong></em><em><strong>̙</strong></em><em><strong>M</strong></em><em><strong>̵̲̺̾͑</strong></em><em><strong>,</strong></em><em><strong>̵͔̘̎͝</strong></em><em><strong>"</strong></em><em><strong>̷͖͂ͅ</strong></em><em><strong>̶̪̏͂</strong></em> <em><strong>("My conquest of this virgin world begins!") </strong></em>The Baron of Hell began to speak in a tongue entirely unknown to her. It sounded ancient, it sounded <em><strong>wrong</strong></em>, each syllable making Olga wanting to curl up and die, like a pathetic little worm.</p>
<p>As he chanted, the tear got <em>bigger</em> and the whispers got <em>louder</em>, as many <em>things </em>began to claw their way through. The first creatures came by the score, ugly tall things easily as tall as a grown elven male. Spikes jutted from many parts of their body, particularly the shoulders and the elbows and knees. An avian-humanoid head with blood red eyes sat atop their necks, snarling at whatever was there around them.</p>
<p>Accompanying them were an equal amount of human males of varying skin colors, each having blood red eyes much like the creatures that came before them. In their hands were strange muskets much like the ones from her vision.</p>
<p>Following after them were large armored monstrosities colored in a rather absurd dark pink. The tusks on these creatures and their strong, clawed limbs were more than enough to dissuade any from openly mocking them.</p>
<p>But the one that stood out for her was the creature that appeared through the tear last. It was tall, nearly reaching eye-level to Balth'Azar himself, and was vaguely elf-like in shape. Its torso has no flesh, revealing an open ribcage and a thick spine. Long arms and legs, muscular yet bony and wreathed in fire, carried the creature in its strides which were graceful and with purpose, a jarring thing considering how horrendous the creature looked. Its hands and feet ended in three digits, the feet having some uniformity in that all three claws are aligned whereas the hands comprised of two long grasping claws and an opposable claw. Glowing red and blue veins ran through its hands, feet and even its cheeks were decorated by these veins. Two eyes, golden and glowing with infernal energy, stared deep into her very soul even as she turned away, their gaze piercing her mortal coil.</p>
<p>The creature approached Balth'Azar and soon the two <em><strong>Daemons</strong></em> were face to face with one another. The creature's mouth moved and it spoke.</p>
<p><em><strong>"</strong></em><em><strong>̴̠̘̈́̚</strong></em><em><strong>.</strong></em><em><strong>̈</strong></em><em><strong>͔</strong></em><em><strong>d</strong></em><em><strong>̶͓͔͝</strong></em><em><strong>n</strong></em><em><strong>̶̧̺̔</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̴̙̑̔</strong></em><em><strong>̣i</strong></em><em><strong>̵̧͑͋</strong></em><em><strong>r</strong></em><em><strong>f</strong></em><em><strong>̴̙̗̈́̔</strong></em><em><strong>̶</strong></em><em><strong>̋</strong></em><em><strong>͍</strong></em><em><strong>d</strong></em><em><strong>̶͂͝ͅ</strong></em><em><strong>̣l</strong></em><em><strong>o</strong></em><em><strong>̴̐͜</strong></em><em><strong>̵̢̜̈́</strong></em><em><strong>,</strong></em><em><strong>̂</strong></em><em><strong>̣g</strong></em><em><strong>̷</strong></em><em><strong>̌</strong></em><em><strong>̢̔͜</strong></em><em><strong>n</strong></em><em><strong>̋</strong></em><em><strong>̟̭</strong></em><em><strong>i</strong></em><em><strong>̶̯̗̍̾</strong></em><em><strong>d</strong></em><em><strong>̷̟̾͠</strong></em><em><strong>i</strong></em><em><strong>̴̻̿</strong></em><em><strong>h</strong></em><em><strong>̴͎̤̀̓</strong></em><em><strong>n</strong></em><em><strong>̉</strong></em><em><strong>̙̼</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̶</strong></em><em><strong>̉</strong></em><em><strong>̟</strong></em><em><strong>b</strong></em><em><strong>̴͕̩͛</strong></em><em><strong>̶̬͂</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̴͖́</strong></em><em><strong>v</strong></em><em><strong>̶̖͐</strong></em><em><strong>'</strong></em><em><strong>̶̺͗̍</strong></em><em><strong>u</strong></em><em><strong>o</strong></em><em><strong>̶̝̩̎͛</strong></em><em><strong>y</strong></em><em><strong>͇</strong></em><em><strong>̠</strong></em><em><strong>̶͊</strong></em><em><strong>̉</strong></em><em><strong>̮̲</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̶̛͈̠</strong></em><em><strong>r</strong></em><em><strong>̵̏</strong></em><em><strong>̦</strong></em><em><strong>̱</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̵̨̝̅͐</strong></em><em><strong>h</strong></em><em><strong>̦</strong></em><em><strong>w</strong></em><em><strong>̷̯̚</strong></em><em><strong>s</strong></em><em><strong>̷͉͐͠</strong></em><em><strong>i</strong></em><em><strong>̴̼̐̍</strong></em><em><strong>̶</strong></em><em><strong>̌̆</strong></em><em><strong>̜̱</strong></em><em><strong>s</strong></em><em><strong>̷̩̍͊</strong></em><em><strong>i</strong></em><em><strong>̴̜͔̓͋</strong></em><em><strong>h</strong></em><em><strong>̶</strong></em><em><strong>̂</strong></em><em><strong>̡̨</strong></em><em><strong>t</strong></em><em><strong>̵̝͌</strong></em><em><strong>̷͚̄</strong></em><em><strong>o</strong></em><em><strong>̶̺̽̈́</strong></em><em><strong>S</strong></em><em><strong>,</strong></em><em><strong>̵̪̘̒</strong></em><em><strong>"</strong></em><em><strong>̌</strong></em><em><strong>͍</strong></em><em><strong>̵</strong></em><em><strong>̃̀</strong></em><em><strong>̼͎</strong></em><em><strong> ("So this is where you've been hiding, old friend.") </strong></em>Olga swore there was a smile in the lipless mouth of the creature.</p>
<p><em><strong>"</strong></em><em><strong>̷̲̅</strong></em><em><strong>.</strong></em><em><strong>̷̺̬̀</strong></em><em><strong>g</strong></em><em><strong>n</strong></em><em><strong>̵͐͜͝</strong></em><em><strong>i</strong></em><em><strong>̵̯͋͒</strong></em><em><strong>h</strong></em><em><strong>̵̱̎</strong></em><em><strong>t</strong></em><em><strong>̷̰̤͗̚</strong></em><em><strong>o</strong></em><em><strong>̶͛</strong></em><em><strong>̂</strong></em><em><strong>ͅ</strong></em><em><strong>̦</strong></em><em><strong>n</strong></em><em><strong>̵̲̏</strong></em><em><strong>d</strong></em><em><strong>́</strong></em><em><strong>͍͋</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̶͊͜</strong></em><em><strong>t</strong></em><em><strong>̶͖̥͝</strong></em><em><strong>c</strong></em><em><strong>̶̭̻̾̊</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̵̏ͅ</strong></em><em><strong>p</strong></em><em><strong>̵͉̲̑́</strong></em><em><strong>s</strong></em><em><strong>̶̮͗</strong></em><em><strong>u</strong></em><em><strong>̶̧̿́</strong></em><em><strong>s</strong></em><em><strong>̷̰͍̎͋</strong></em><em><strong>̴̘̓͊</strong></em><em><strong>y</strong></em><em><strong>̵̨̩̽͒</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̴</strong></em><em><strong>̈</strong></em><em><strong>̗̘̎</strong></em><em><strong>h</strong></em><em><strong>̶́</strong></em><em><strong>̦</strong></em><em><strong>̯</strong></em><em><strong>T</strong></em><em><strong>̀</strong></em><em><strong>̈</strong></em><em><strong>̭</strong></em><em><strong>̳</strong></em><em><strong>̶̘̕͝</strong></em><em><strong>.</strong></em><em><strong>s</strong></em><em><strong>̶͍̽</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>c</strong></em><em><strong>̴̢͐̓</strong></em><em><strong>n</strong></em><em><strong>̴̘͗</strong></em><em><strong>a</strong></em><em><strong>r</strong></em><em><strong>a</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̶̒</strong></em><em><strong>̋</strong></em><em><strong>̧</strong></em><em><strong>p</strong></em><em><strong>̷̝͌̊</strong></em><em><strong>p</strong></em><em><strong>̷̥̽̓</strong></em><em><strong>a</strong></em><em><strong>̷</strong></em><em><strong>̂</strong></em><em><strong>͙͂</strong></em><em><strong>̵̥͕̍͘</strong></em><em><strong>p</strong></em><em><strong>̶̢̊</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̵͖͐</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̶̭̒͜</strong></em><em><strong>k</strong></em><em><strong>̶̲̲̊</strong></em><em><strong>̷̱̯̑</strong></em><em><strong>o</strong></em><em><strong>t</strong></em><em><strong>̴̡͙̊</strong></em><em><strong>̴</strong></em><em><strong>̀</strong></em><em><strong>͖</strong></em><em><strong>d</strong></em><em><strong>̴̢̓</strong></em><em><strong>a</strong></em><em><strong>̷</strong></em><em><strong>̂</strong></em><em><strong>̰</strong></em><em><strong>̣h</strong></em><em><strong>̶͉̍</strong></em><em><strong>̦</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̷̕</strong></em><em><strong>͇</strong></em><em><strong>v</strong></em><em><strong>'</strong></em><em><strong>I</strong></em><em><strong>̶̰̈́̍</strong></em><em><strong>,</strong></em><em><strong>̴͒͠</strong></em><em><strong>̳</strong></em><em><strong>̟</strong></em><em><strong>"</strong></em><em><strong>̋</strong></em><em><strong>̢͜</strong></em><em><strong>̵̎</strong></em><em><strong>̳</strong></em><em><strong> ("I've had to keep appearances. They suspected nothing.") </strong></em>Balth'Azar said, looking towards the entrance to the stairwell.</p>
<p><em><strong>"</strong></em><em><strong>̷̧̘̈́͑</strong></em><em><strong>?</strong></em><em><strong>̷</strong></em><em><strong>̀</strong></em><em><strong>̓</strong></em><em><strong>̦</strong></em><em><strong>̘</strong></em><em><strong>u</strong></em><em><strong>̋</strong></em><em><strong>́</strong></em><em><strong>̤</strong></em><em><strong>o</strong></em><em><strong>̷</strong></em><em><strong>̋</strong></em><em><strong>͛͜</strong></em><em><strong>y</strong></em><em><strong>̴͎̫̒</strong></em><em><strong>̵</strong></em><em><strong>̃</strong></em><em><strong>̞̯</strong></em><em><strong>m</strong></em><em><strong>̷</strong></em><em><strong>̌</strong></em><em><strong>̘̮͌</strong></em><em><strong>o</strong></em><em><strong>̶̘̄͋</strong></em><em><strong>r</strong></em><em><strong>F</strong></em><em><strong>̷̺̓</strong></em><em><strong>̶</strong></em><em><strong>̉</strong></em><em><strong>̝͐</strong></em><em><strong>?</strong></em><em><strong>̶̛̤̗</strong></em><em><strong>y</strong></em><em><strong>r</strong></em><em><strong>̶</strong></em><em><strong>̆</strong></em><em><strong>̟͊</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>͇</strong></em><em><strong>͖</strong></em><em><strong>k</strong></em><em><strong>c</strong></em><em><strong>̷</strong></em><em><strong>̉</strong></em><em><strong>͈̬</strong></em><em><strong>i</strong></em><em><strong>̂</strong></em><em><strong>͙͔</strong></em><em><strong>r</strong></em><em><strong>̶̼̝͂̅</strong></em><em><strong>T</strong></em><em><strong>̷͠</strong></em><em><strong>̉</strong></em><em><strong>͕</strong></em><em><strong>,</strong></em><em><strong>̶̝̜̿͆</strong></em><em><strong>"</strong></em><em><strong>̶̎</strong></em><em><strong>̀</strong></em><em><strong>̲</strong></em><em><strong>̵͆</strong></em><em><strong>͇</strong></em><em><strong>͎</strong></em><em><strong> ("Trickery? From you?") </strong></em>Olga could hear the creature laugh, sounding like church bells and growling combined. Balth'Azar placed a large hand on the shoulder of the creature.</p>
<p><strong>"̴̥̍.ḙ̴̲̾l̶̠̊͋ȳ̴̱͔̃k̴̛̰̃e̶͔̋Z̶̰͆'̴̜̓å̶̦͓͝l̷̲̖̐Ä̶͚́͛ ̴͈̊̅,̴̪͝ǹ̵̟͖i̶̢̘͛̀ä͍g̵̡͠ͅa̷̞͇̔ ̷͓̯̑uò̷̩̪ŷ̴͉ ̵̘̿͝ė̶͉̩̓ę̶̮͒̿s̴̬̦̀̎ ̶̢͔̐̚o̴͍̎̈́ṱ̷͓͊ ̶͎̞̏d̷͚̣͑o̴̻̓͂ͅog ̴͇́s̶̖̒i̷̪͗͒ͅ ̵̛̟̤͝t̷̲͂̓I̴͖̦͒,̷͓͑"̷̣̉ ̴͇͑ </strong><em><strong>("It is good to see you again, Ala'Zekyle.")</strong></em> The creature, Ala'Zekyle, nodded to Balth'Azar before looking at Olga once again. She had been trying to crawl back to the entrance but the moment the new <em><strong>Daemon's</strong></em> eyes were upon her, she suddenly was petrified. She couldn't move, no matter what she tried.</p>
<p><em><strong>"</strong></em><em><strong>?</strong></em><em><strong>̷̺̟̐</strong></em><em><strong>r</strong></em><em><strong>̶̹͗ͅ</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̷̘̾̾͜</strong></em><em><strong>h</strong></em><em><strong>̴̝̄</strong></em><em><strong>̴̝̏͘</strong></em><em><strong>f</strong></em><em><strong>̶̯͕͠</strong></em><em><strong>o</strong></em><em><strong>̷͔̈́͝</strong></em><em><strong>t</strong></em><em><strong>̴͓̒</strong></em><em><strong>a</strong></em><em><strong>̵</strong></em><em><strong>̉</strong></em><em><strong>̈</strong></em><em><strong>̤̹</strong></em><em><strong>h</strong></em><em><strong>̶͙̾</strong></em><em><strong>W</strong></em><em><strong>̷̓</strong></em><em><strong>̂</strong></em><em><strong>̨</strong></em><em><strong>,</strong></em><em><strong>̵̜͛͆</strong></em><em><strong>"</strong></em><em><strong>̴̙̫̚</strong></em><em><strong>̶̯̘̅</strong></em> <em><strong>("What of her?")</strong></em> She heard it ask Balth'Azar, who snorted at the question.</p>
<p><em><strong>"</strong></em><em><strong>̵</strong></em><em><strong>̃</strong></em><em><strong>̥̱</strong></em><em><strong>.</strong></em><em><strong>̴̧̟͑̅</strong></em><em><strong>y</strong></em><em><strong>̶̨͠</strong></em><em><strong>a</strong></em><em><strong>̴̰̓̚</strong></em><em><strong>w</strong></em><em><strong>̳</strong></em><em><strong>t</strong></em><em><strong>̷̨̫̽</strong></em><em><strong>a</strong></em><em><strong>̴</strong></em><em><strong>́</strong></em><em><strong>̦</strong></em><em><strong>̹</strong></em><em><strong>h</strong></em><em><strong>̵</strong></em><em><strong>́</strong></em><em><strong>̗</strong></em><em><strong>t</strong></em><em><strong>̵̽͝ͅ</strong></em><em><strong>y</strong></em><em><strong>̷͂</strong></em><em><strong>̳</strong></em><em><strong>̪</strong></em><em><strong>g</strong></em><em><strong>̵</strong></em><em><strong>̌</strong></em><em><strong>̜̠̿</strong></em><em><strong>r</strong></em><em><strong>̴̯̓͑</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̷</strong></em><em><strong>̋</strong></em><em><strong>̬</strong></em><em><strong>n</strong></em><em><strong>̴̗̊</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̴̚</strong></em><em><strong>̀</strong></em><em><strong>̧̺</strong></em><em><strong>̵̟͛̚</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̴</strong></em><em><strong>̀</strong></em><em><strong>̜</strong></em><em><strong>r</strong></em><em><strong>o</strong></em><em><strong>̴͉̈́̈́</strong></em><em><strong>m</strong></em><em><strong>̴̞̾͌</strong></em><em><strong>̴</strong></em><em><strong>́</strong></em><em><strong>̧̹͝</strong></em><em><strong>s</strong></em><em><strong>̵̖̀͜</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̷</strong></em><em><strong>̆</strong></em><em><strong>̀</strong></em><em><strong>͇</strong></em><em><strong>t</strong></em><em><strong>̴̙̮̓͋</strong></em><em><strong>a</strong></em><em><strong>̵̮͂̀</strong></em><em><strong>̳</strong></em><em><strong>r</strong></em><em><strong>̵̔͝ͅ</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>n</strong></em><em><strong>̶͕̫͌</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>g</strong></em><em><strong>̷</strong></em><em><strong>̆</strong></em><em><strong>̱</strong></em><em><strong>̷</strong></em><em><strong>̉</strong></em><em><strong>̢̿</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̴̞̓</strong></em><em><strong>̳</strong></em><em><strong>h</strong></em><em><strong>̆</strong></em><em><strong>̫̝</strong></em><em><strong>S</strong></em><em><strong>̴͂͘ͅ</strong></em><em><strong>̵͓̽͝</strong></em><em><strong>.</strong></em><strong>e</strong><strong>̵̧̺̇̚</strong><strong>v</strong><strong>̶̕</strong><strong>̣</strong><strong>̥</strong><strong>i</strong><strong>̵̇͜</strong><strong>l</strong><strong>̷͖̾</strong><strong>a</strong><strong>̷</strong><strong>̃</strong><strong>͠ͅ</strong><strong>̵̢̮̿̅</strong><em><strong>r</strong></em><em><strong>̶</strong></em><em><strong>̆</strong></em><em><strong>͙</strong></em><em><strong>̦</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̷̰̩͗</strong></em><em><strong>h</strong></em><em><strong>̵͙̏̇</strong></em><em><strong>d</strong></em><em><strong>́</strong></em><em><strong>̄</strong></em><em><strong>̳̳</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̶</strong></em><em><strong>̆</strong></em><em><strong>̬͐</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̵̢̰̿</strong></em><em><strong>n</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̴</strong></em><em><strong>̆</strong></em><em><strong>̪</strong></em><em><strong>w</strong></em><em><strong>̷</strong></em><em><strong>̋</strong></em><em><strong>̡͎͑</strong></em><em><strong>̷͋͊</strong></em><em><strong>̦</strong></em><em><strong>,</strong></em><em><strong>̵̯̽</strong></em><em><strong>t</strong></em><em><strong>̶̛̥̙́</strong></em><em><strong>i</strong></em><em><strong>̶̬́́</strong></em><em><strong>̴</strong></em><em><strong>̈</strong></em><em><strong>̤̽</strong></em><em><strong>y</strong></em><em><strong>̦</strong></em><em><strong>a</strong></em><em><strong>̴̫̓̚</strong></em><em><strong>s</strong></em><em><strong>̉</strong></em><em><strong>͎</strong></em><em><strong>̶̍</strong></em><em><strong>̳</strong></em><em><strong>̙</strong></em><em><strong>o</strong></em><em><strong>̶̨̬͆̅</strong></em><em><strong>t</strong></em><em><strong>̵</strong></em><em><strong>̂</strong></em><em><strong>͙</strong></em><em><strong>̴</strong></em><em><strong>̂</strong></em><em><strong>̩</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̃</strong></em><em><strong>͈͕</strong></em><em><strong>m</strong></em><em><strong>̴</strong></em><em><strong>́</strong></em><em><strong>̜͎̏</strong></em><em><strong>s</strong></em><em><strong>̵</strong></em><em><strong>̳̆</strong></em><em><strong>̜</strong></em><em><strong>n</strong></em><em><strong>i</strong></em><em><strong>̷̼͔͂͊</strong></em><em><strong>a</strong></em><em><strong>̶̘͆</strong></em><em><strong>p</strong></em><em><strong>̴̨̤̓</strong></em><em><strong>̶͈̜̽͒</strong></em><em><strong>t</strong></em><em><strong>̶̛͌</strong></em><em><strong>̣i</strong></em><em><strong>̶̪͗̎</strong></em><em><strong>̣ </strong></em><em><strong>̶̢̛̙</strong></em><em><strong>s</strong></em><em><strong>̴̀</strong></em><em><strong>̦</strong></em><em><strong>̬</strong></em><em><strong>a</strong></em><em><strong>̶͍̹̽</strong></em><em><strong>̷̬͆</strong></em><em><strong>h</strong></em><em><strong>̴̛̱̇</strong></em><em><strong>c</strong></em><em><strong>̵</strong></em><em><strong>̆</strong></em><em><strong>̡̱</strong></em><em><strong>u</strong></em><em><strong>̷̙̅͝</strong></em><em><strong>͇</strong></em><em><strong>m</strong></em><em><strong>̵̞͍͒</strong></em><em><strong>̷̙͒</strong></em><em><strong>s</strong></em><em><strong>̴̢̮͐͌</strong></em><em><strong>A</strong></em><em><strong>̶̰̾̈́</strong></em><em><strong>,</strong></em><em><strong>̶̅͜͝</strong></em><em><strong>"</strong></em><em><strong>̵̟́͒</strong></em><em><strong>̷̰̇͝</strong></em> <em><strong>("As much as it pains me to say it, we need her </strong></em><strong>alive</strong><em><strong>. She generates more energy that way.") </strong></em>Balth'Azar explained, making her eyes widen at the implication.</p>
<p><em><strong>"</strong></em><em><strong>̷̧̥͝</strong></em><em><strong>?</strong></em><em><strong>a</strong></em><em><strong>̴̖̲͋̕</strong></em><em><strong>n</strong></em><em><strong>̵̻̾̕</strong></em><em><strong>o</strong></em><em><strong>l</strong></em><em><strong>̴</strong></em><em><strong>̀</strong></em><em><strong>̻</strong></em><em><strong>o</strong></em><em><strong>̴͚̥̊͝</strong></em><em><strong>d</strong></em><em><strong>̴̻̚</strong></em><em><strong>I</strong></em><em><strong>̵̫̼͋</strong></em><em><strong>̶͖͋</strong></em><em><strong>s</strong></em><em><strong>̷͚̓̕</strong></em><em><strong>u</strong></em><em><strong>̴̨̾̐</strong></em><em><strong>v</strong></em><em><strong>̷̬̼̓͑</strong></em><em><strong>i</strong></em><em><strong>̶</strong></em><em><strong>̆</strong></em><em><strong>̥̘</strong></em><em><strong>t</strong></em><em><strong>̷̘̘̈́̾</strong></em><em><strong>a</strong></em><em><strong>̷̟̙̐͝</strong></em><em><strong>N</strong></em><em><strong>̷</strong></em><em><strong>̈</strong></em><em><strong>̇ͅ</strong></em><em><strong>̴̧͕̀̄</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̴̫̮̈́</strong></em><em><strong>h</strong></em><em><strong>t</strong></em><em><strong>̶</strong></em><em><strong>̋</strong></em><em><strong>̯͂</strong></em><em><strong>̷</strong></em><em><strong>̉</strong></em><em><strong>̂</strong></em><em><strong>̩</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̶̡̠̅͊</strong></em><em><strong>k</strong></em><em><strong>̶̚</strong></em><em><strong>̦</strong></em><em><strong>i</strong></em><em><strong>̴</strong></em><em><strong>̀</strong></em><em><strong>̱̎</strong></em><em><strong>l</strong></em><em><strong>̴̻́̑</strong></em><em><strong>̷</strong></em><em><strong>̈</strong></em><em><strong>̯</strong></em><em><strong>̳</strong></em><em><strong>h</strong></em><em><strong>̶̰̍͝</strong></em><em><strong>c</strong></em><em><strong>̶̩̯̎</strong></em><em><strong>u</strong></em><em><strong>̵̡̈́</strong></em><em><strong>M</strong></em><em><strong>̵</strong></em><em><strong>̃</strong></em><em><strong>̹͉̄</strong></em><em><strong>,</strong></em><em><strong>́</strong></em><em><strong>̞͓</strong></em><em><strong>"</strong></em><em><strong>̴̫̿</strong></em><em><strong>̴</strong></em><em><strong>̂</strong></em><em><strong>̪͜</strong></em><em><strong> ("Much like the Nativus Idolona?") </strong></em>A dark rumbling chuckle erupted from Balth'Azar's lips.</p>
<p><em><strong>"</strong></em><em><strong>̵̛͙͖͠</strong></em><em><strong>…</strong></em><em><strong>̷̪͋̍</strong></em><em><strong>a</strong></em><em><strong>̵̢͑̚</strong></em><em><strong>n</strong></em><em><strong>̴͉̊͆</strong></em><em><strong>o</strong></em><em><strong>̴̢͎̏͝</strong></em><em><strong>l</strong></em><em><strong>̷̩̖̄</strong></em><em><strong>o</strong></em><em><strong>̷̹̹͌</strong></em><em><strong>d</strong></em><em><strong>̴̩̓</strong></em><em><strong>I</strong></em><em><strong>̴</strong></em><em><strong>̀</strong></em><em><strong>̲̈́</strong></em><em><strong>̵́</strong></em><em><strong>́</strong></em><em><strong>̘̫</strong></em><em><strong>s</strong></em><em><strong>̵̨̘̒́</strong></em><em><strong>u</strong></em><em><strong>̵͓͊̊</strong></em><em><strong>v</strong></em><em><strong>̵</strong></em><em><strong>̦̆</strong></em><em><strong>̘</strong></em><em><strong>i</strong></em><em><strong>̴</strong></em><em><strong>̆</strong></em><em><strong>̥͕̓</strong></em><em><strong>t</strong></em><em><strong>̷̰͈̕</strong></em><em><strong>a</strong></em><em><strong>̷̜̓</strong></em><em><strong>N</strong></em><em><strong>̷̲̭͗</strong></em><em><strong>̵͙̺̑͗</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̷̝̇</strong></em><em><strong>h</strong></em><em><strong>̵̪͂̚</strong></em><em><strong>t</strong></em><em><strong>̷̲̚</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̶̞͘</strong></em><em><strong>k</strong></em><em><strong>i</strong></em><em><strong>̴̼͆</strong></em><em><strong>͇</strong></em><em><strong>l</strong></em><em><strong>̵̪̲̎</strong></em><em><strong>̴̽͗</strong></em><em><strong>͇</strong></em><em><strong>h</strong></em><em><strong>c</strong></em><em><strong>̵̽͂͜</strong></em><em><strong>u</strong></em><em><strong>M</strong></em><em><strong>́</strong></em><em><strong>͔</strong></em><em><strong>̶̀</strong></em><em><strong>̀</strong></em><em><strong>̡̲</strong></em><em><strong>…</strong></em><em><strong>s</strong></em><em><strong>̵́̏</strong></em><em><strong>͇</strong></em><em><strong>̥</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̶͈̰̄</strong></em><em><strong>Y</strong></em><em><strong>̴͑</strong></em><em><strong>̀</strong></em><em><strong>̩</strong></em><em><strong>,</strong></em><em><strong>̴̨̯͗̊</strong></em><em><strong>"</strong></em><em><strong>̷͈̥͛̇</strong></em><em><strong>̵</strong></em><em><strong>̃</strong></em><em><strong>̭̄</strong></em><em><strong> ("Yes… Much like the Nativus Idolona…") </strong></em>in one swift motion, Olga was suddenly lifted from the floor and was within the <em><strong>Daemon's</strong></em> grasp. This time, she could feel his infernal magicks marking her flesh, burning her yet keeping her alive. She couldn't scream, not while the other creature's eyes were upon her. Around her, the other demons snarled and hissed as Balth'Azar passed them by, heading towards the very heart of the chamber.</p>
<p>Balth'Azar slammed her into the heart-like altar in the center of the chamber. Immediately, sharp teeth stabbed into her body. Many sliced through her arms, legs, and back, drawing blood and magic from the open wounds. More teeth clamped down on her sides and her neck, piercing them and further causing agony to Olga. Tentacles, spawning from the sides of the thing, wrapped around limbs and her lower abdomen, the slimy appendages locking her into this demonic altar.</p>
<p>She panicked; none of her wards were working as they should. She gasped as <em>something</em> <strong>slithered</strong> into her exposed snatch, deflowering her and making its way into her womb. Her agape mouth was an opportunity for a tentacle to slide right in, suffocating her in the process. It traveled down her throat until it reached her heart where it coiled around in a vice-like grip.</p>
<p>The creature, Ala'Zekyle, approached her, hypnotic in their stride. Soon, they towered over her before bending over to whisper into her ear.</p>
<p><em><strong>"</strong></em><em><strong>̵͔̖͠</strong></em><em><strong>…</strong></em><em><strong>̵̡̎</strong></em><em><strong>d</strong></em><em><strong>̶͍̰͒</strong></em><em><strong>a</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̵̮͂</strong></em><em><strong>h</strong></em><em><strong>̴</strong></em><em><strong>̀</strong></em><em><strong>̺̔</strong></em><em><strong>a</strong></em><em><strong>̴</strong></em><em><strong>̉</strong></em><em><strong>̫̯</strong></em><em><strong>̴͕̚</strong></em><em><strong>o</strong></em><em><strong>̃</strong></em><em><strong>͕</strong></em><em><strong>G</strong></em><em><strong>̴̔̓</strong></em><em><strong>̦</strong></em><em><strong>,</strong></em><em><strong>̷̅</strong></em><em><strong>̃</strong></em><em><strong>͉</strong></em><em><strong>"</strong></em><em><strong>̶̧̓</strong></em><em><strong>̷</strong></em><em><strong>̈</strong></em><em><strong>͙̑</strong></em> <em><strong>("Go ahead…") </strong></em>they smiled at her. <em><strong>"</strong></em><em><strong>̵̤̞͌̍</strong></em><em><strong>.</strong></em><em><strong>̴̅</strong></em><em><strong>́</strong></em><em><strong>͙</strong></em><em><strong>t</strong></em><em><strong>̶͕͍̐̍</strong></em><em><strong>n</strong></em><em><strong>̴̧͗</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̌</strong></em><em><strong>̨̟</strong></em><em><strong>t</strong></em><em><strong>̶̟̏͊</strong></em><em><strong>n</strong></em><em><strong>̷̜͗</strong></em><em><strong>̳</strong></em><em><strong>o</strong></em><em><strong>̶͓̭͘</strong></em><em><strong>c</strong></em><em><strong>̵̛̹͓̓</strong></em><em><strong>̴̲̬̿̅</strong></em><em><strong>s</strong></em><em><strong>̶͆</strong></em><em><strong>̦</strong></em><em><strong>̮</strong></em><em><strong>'</strong></em><em><strong>̶̬̓͠</strong></em><em><strong>t</strong></em><em><strong>̷</strong></em><em><strong>̈</strong></em><em><strong>̮</strong></em><em><strong>r</strong></em><em><strong>̵̼̍͒</strong></em><em><strong>a</strong></em><em><strong>̉</strong></em><em><strong>̘͛</strong></em><em><strong>͇</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>̦</strong></em><em><strong>͕</strong></em><em><strong>h</strong></em><em><strong>̶̩͔̍͘</strong></em><em><strong>̴͈̈́</strong></em><em><strong>r</strong></em><em><strong>̀</strong></em><em><strong>ͅ</strong></em><em><strong>u</strong></em><em><strong>̴̫̝̓</strong></em><em><strong>o</strong></em><em><strong>̷̲͒̕</strong></em><em><strong>y</strong></em><em><strong>̵̊</strong></em><em><strong>̳</strong></em><em><strong>̌</strong></em><em><strong>̕</strong></em><em><strong>̣</strong></em><em><strong>̭</strong></em><em><strong>o</strong></em><em><strong>t</strong></em><em><strong>̵͚͛</strong></em><em><strong>̷</strong></em><em><strong>̌</strong></em><em><strong>͈̓</strong></em><em><strong>͇</strong></em><em><strong>m</strong></em><em><strong>̶</strong></em><em><strong>́</strong></em><em><strong>̋</strong></em><em><strong>̬</strong></em><em><strong>a</strong></em><em><strong>̶͘</strong></em><em><strong>̀</strong></em><em><strong>͔̪</strong></em><em><strong>e</strong></em><em><strong>r</strong></em><em><strong>̵̗̀</strong></em><em><strong>̦</strong></em><em><strong>c</strong></em><em><strong>̵</strong></em><em><strong>́</strong></em><em><strong>͕̪̓</strong></em><em><strong>S</strong></em><em><strong>̷̧͋</strong></em><em><strong>̣,</strong></em><em><strong>̴</strong></em><em><strong>̉</strong></em><em><strong>̲̯</strong></em><em><strong>"</strong></em><em><strong>̶̽</strong></em><em><strong>̋</strong></em><em><strong>̠</strong></em><em><strong>̶͌͒</strong></em><em><strong>̳</strong></em><em><strong>̪</strong></em><em><strong> ("Scream to your heart's content.")</strong></em></p>
<p>Despite the object blocking her throat, she did as the <em><strong>Daemon</strong></em> asked of her. She screamed.</p>
<p>But none outside could her hear. Balth'Azar roared in dark laughter at her misery.</p>
<p>It has begun.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: Well… that took a rather dark turn, didn't it? I apologize for taking FAR TOO LONG when it came to writing this. A lot of things had been occurring and it was all too confusing. COVID-19 (Kung Flu 2: Errectric Boogaroo), the whole George Floyd thing (not even sure what to believe anymore), BLM and Antifa being crazier and rioting on the wrong people, and Ghislaine Maxwell (Epstein's bed buddy and next to be memed into "Didn't Kill Themselves" status and I think we all know why) being imprisoned and many other fucked up shit. I swear, you Americans have gone downhill in a relatively short span of time. Regardless, Happy 4th of July to all you wonderful and sane Americans, hopefully you guys can set your country straight.</p>
<p>But enough about that crazy real world problems, this is fiction, an escape from reality. So! Remember what I said that this'll be different from the first iteration of DOOM: Puer Infernalis? Here it is. That ending went from zero to one hundred rather quick. Also my first attempt at non-con, hopefully it'll be the last.</p>
<p>See you guys in the next chapter! Whenever I get around to writing, that is… Fucking procrastination, she's a harsh mistress. If the timestamps were any indication, I'll be at it for a year and most of the time spent 'writing' will just be me slacking off like a lazy bastard son of a whore.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A/N: Alright, as promised, I have written up the first chapter of this rewrite. Hopefully this will be more decent than the last version. If you noticed, most of the revisions of this chapter had gone to the first portions of the chapter rather than to the later portions. </p><p>For those who are wondering how to get both the reverse text and glitch text, just search them up on Google. Any program will do. But for those who are wondering, here are what the Daemon said to dear little Origa: </p><p>"̶y̶da̵l̷i̶M ̷,̴t̶n̷a̶v̵r̴es̵ ̴e̶l̶b̶m̵u̴h̶ ̷r̷u̵o̶y̷ s̷s̷e̷r̴dd̴a ̷o̶t̵ ̷y̴aw̴ y̵n̶a̶ ̵t̶a̴h̴t̶ ̷sI̷?̵"̶= "Is that any way to address your humble servant, Milady?"</p><p>"̷s̵n̷ae̴m̵ ̵l̵l̷a ̴y̵b̵ n̶e̶h̴T̵,̶" ̴ = "Then by all means,"</p><p>"̴t̵oh̶s̴ ts̴eb̴ ̴r̶u̴o̴y̶ ̷h̷t̵i̶w̶ e̶m ̷ek̷i̶r̵tS,̶" = "Strike me with your best shot,"</p><p>"̷e̴m̶ ̵t̶s̷e̵b̶ na̷c ̵u̴o̷y̴ ̶d̵no̶ce̷s̷ ̴a̶ ̵r̷of̵ ̶k̶n̶i̴h̴t ̵t̴o̵n̴ ̶o̷D,̵"̴ ̵ = "Do not think for a second you can best me,"</p><p>"p̶l̶e̴h̷w̵ ̴,̵w̶o̶n ̴e̵r̷a̶ ̵u̶o̷y̷ ̶t̵a̵h̷w̷ ̴m̶o̴r̷f̷ ̷y̶a̶w̵a̴ ̵s̷n̷o̴ea̶ ̶m̵a̵ ̴I̵.̵"̷ = "I am aeons away from what you are now, whelp."</p><p>"̵e̴l̷poe̵p̵ r̵u̶oy̶ ̶e̶k̷i̶l̶ hcu̵M̷ ̵.̶n̴e̴tt̴o̴g̶ro̶f̴ ̵e̶b̴ ̷o̴t d̷n̷u̷or̷g̷ ̶eht̶ ̵ot̵n̵i̵ ̶l̵l̷a̵f̴ ̵d̷n̴a r̷e̷tt̵a̷h̶s̵ ̴l̴l̷a̴h̴s̶ ̶n̵g̷i̴e̵r ̴r̵u̶oy̶ ̵,̶s̵e̷m̵o̷c̴ ̴e̷m̵it ̶eht ̵n̴e̶h̴W̴,̴"̵ ̵ = "When the time comes, your reign shall shatter and fall into the ground to be forgotten. Much like your people," </p><p>I also decided to put the full synopsis of sorts in here rather than in the story selection, simply because I went overboard with it. Here it is: </p><p>The country of Eostia, situated in the world of Selenus, is on the last days of their thousand-year war between the Seven Shields Alliance, led by Celestine Lucullus the Reincarnated Goddess, and the Demon Hordes of Garan, led by Origa Discordia the Dark Elven Queen of the Jagged Crown. However, just days before the attack on the Black Fortress, Origa Discordia's home for many centuries, three powerful individuals emerge. </p><p>A drifter, whose true age escapes all, who walks between the planes of the living and the dead. This is the man who dances constantly with devils under the pale moonlight with tools both mechanical and arcane. A dark presence comes from him, but not of his own soul. The drifter walks upon the razor's edge, knowing of the evil that hides behind the blinding light and of the beauty that lurks behind the veils of darkness. </p><p>A swordswoman, her diminutive size deceiving many, blessed by the Angel of Death. Her skill with a blade is only matched by her child-like demeanor at times when not in battle. Though the energy given to her is Divine, she has her fair share of darkness within her, growing with each day of killing. The swordswoman fights her inner demons throughout her struggles, with her outer angels cleansing what can be seen by mere mortal eyes. </p><p>A soldier, one who has existed since the First Age. Armed with an arsenal and his adaptive thinking, he has survived the countless onslaughts that the dark horrors of the infernos have sent his way. His violent tendencies are offset by a surprising amount of caring only a parent could have, allowing others to see through the window his fractured soul. Out of these three, the soldier has the darkest influence, one he had no choice but to accept as a part of him for all eternity. </p><p>As these three make their way to the stage, boundaries are broken, lines are shifting, new players are stepping in, but the overall power always finds a way to rest its weary head. </p><p>The Black Dogs, a massive and famed mercenary company of thousands of men strong that is the main force holding back the Demon Hordes of Garran. Led by a skilled warrior known as Vult, this mercenary group is all that stands between the relative safety within Eostia and a horrendous horde of monsters. </p><p>Each of the kingdoms have their own warriors as well. The Seven Shields, a military group designed to defend their kingdoms should any breach the lines. </p><p>The Princess Knights, a group of maidens personally knighted by Celestine Lucullus herself. Each of them displays courage and skill in the face of danger. </p><p>However, the skills of the Princess Knights have waned from staying within the walls of their kingdoms and the Black Dogs have grown tired of defending the borders for over the past millennium without much reward. It was time things changed, under a new regime. </p><p>Within the dark corners of this play lies a sinister being. It schemes to bring about true chaos in its path and none but a select few know of it. </p><p>This is the story of how a new war determines the fate of all of Eostia and her allying countries. </p><p>Until then, this has been EnriksD8. Peace!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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